Ambatik by Fini Wowor

H&M, Forever 21, Cristobal Balenciaga designs and many other fashion lines hyped the increase of women and men clothing stores online. 

Today there is already huge selection of chic clothes that trendy buyers can choose from. Mullet skirts, pleated dresses, wide leg pants and bohemian styles are the ones that mostly invade the ramp and are few of my personal preferences too.

Fashion-onlookers not only hunt for new get-up to update their wardrobe but inspiration on how to exactly wear it without looking ridiculous. Cropped tops, for example, are better worn with high-waist denims or trousers than with bubble skirts.

Another difficulty is how to pull together accessories to glam up an outfit. If you are not so oriented you tend to over accessorize yourself.  Or become overly plain and dull. That said, batik printed fabrics has become one of the “accessorizing-problem” fix to many fashionistas.

Traditional batik patterns

In the Philippines, batiks are mostly found in Mindanao. They are used both as fashion wear and accent in the home. At least we deserve to know that batiks are a shared heritage with the Indonesians. Traditional batik patterns include wide stripes, wavy lines or an abstract tapestry of circles and shapes made from waxing and dyeing. It has become passé up until the rebirth of freshly innovated batik patterns through Ambatik.

(Ambatik) Over-sized Top Kimono for Women, Contrast Long Sleeve Collared Shirt for Men

Ambatik is a fashion brand specialized in knit batik. It is a cutting-edge from the traditional batik by using its waxing and dyeing technique on the jersey (knit fabric), offering a unique and distinctive Indonesian clothing.

I exchanged dialogues with the fashion genius behind Ambatik, Ms. Fini Wowor. She is a 28-year-old designer from Jakarta, Indonesia. She studied Fashion Design and Tailoring in ESMOD (l'Ecole Supérieure des Arts et techniques de la Mode) Jakarta which proves her design reliability. 

She first worked in Morning Star Indonesia mainly as a creative director until 2011 before starting her fashion line Ambatik in 2009. Currently, she mainly works for Ambatik, designing and managing the fashion line.

Fini Wowor, Ambatik Fashion Brand Designer

Fini started Ambatik in 2009. It began by designing made to order pieces, using and mixing different batik material from Java. However as the fashion line advanced, Fini already wanted to take the brand to a more casual and fresh take on batik. Her love for jersey and desire to wear something that could represent her Indonesian cultural heritage moved her to experiment innovating the traditional batik fabric using waxing and dyeing technique on a medium that almost never used before, the jersey/ knit fabric.

How is batik printed clothes different from other fabric pattern designs?

Batik is actually the process of waxing and dyeing. Other pattern fabric would have the pattern printed on top of the fabric. With batik, wax is applied to cloth through (1) hand-drawn by "canting," a wooden handled tool with a tiny metal cup and a tiny spout out of which the wax seeps, or by (2) stamping hot wax to the fabric using the "cap," a pre-carved wooden or copper block. Where the wax has seeped through the fabric, the dye will not penetrate. 

After dyeing the cloth for coloring, the fabric is hung up to dry then dipped in a solvent to dissolve the wax. As a result, batik fabric will reflect designs on both sides of the cloth, unlike other pattern fabric with design on only one side.  

Cap (stamp) used for making batik cap, the process by using stamps to apply wax on fabric

The detailed explanation of Fini on what makes Ambatik distinctive of other designs elated me. Fortunately I was able to ask how Ambatik clothes are made. It first begins with designing the “cap” or stamp for the batik process and the collection for the season. Once the "cap" are ready, plain jersey fabric are then stamped and go through the batik process. When the batik fabric is done, production begins for the clothes. 

You can view Ambatik’s latest collection by hitting facebook and clicking “like” on their page.

Taken from UPH Bazaar

I particularly love Ambatik’s oversized t-shirts for women, miniskirts, and cardigans. The hues of earth and pastel colors plus the good contrast offers a more vibrant look. Its abstract and freshly innovated batik patterns are more acceptable to the modern fashion demands of the people today. The designs are generally applicable for men and women at a broad range of age. And of course, Ambatik tops most especially won’t give you hard time pairing it with your dungarees.

(Ambatik) Over-sized Tee Shirt

(Ambatik) miniskirts 

(Ambatik) Cardigans

(Ambatik) Batik Knit Scarf  in Brown, Blue, Salmon, Purple (other colors available)

I’d get to ask Fini what tips she can give to her future Ambatik customers on how to wear batik printed clothes. And this is what she had to say, “My tip is to just have fun! Wear it just like you would any printed clothing, except with Ambatik you're also sustaining a cultural heritage”.  She knows very well that the frugality of her fashion line Ambatik would make most of its buyers fashionable…and comfortable.

Watch Ambatik's campaign video below:

Photo/ Video Credits:
facebook (dot) com (slash) ambatikbyfini
ambatik (dot) tumblr (dot) com
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