A peacock made with Jumputan, Indonesian tie-dye technique, on indigo dyed cloth (Source: Ing Madyokusuman)

 

Amalia Setiabudi is the co-founder and owner of Ing Madyokusuman. Born in Jakarta, Amalia had lived in several Asian countries including India and Japan, before finally moving back to Indonesia in 2015 and started Ing Madyokusuman in late 2016. Amalia works with her mum to produce stunningly beautiful non-geometrical jumputan (Indonesia tie-dye technique) in natural dyes.

In this episode of aNERDspective (our NERD talk show where we converse with amazing friends about their textile adventure and perspectives), we talked to Amalia about how she defies her childhood vision of NOT wanting to become an entrepreneur and her Japanese connection leading to creating Ing Madyokusuman.

Note: Full chat is available on IG TV and this transcript has been edited for reading format.

Tony Sugiarta (TS): Welcome Amalia to another episode of aNERDspective. How are you doing?

Amalia Setiabudi (AS): Hi, I am fine, thank you. How about you in Singapore?

Good. How is the whole Corona and pandemic situation where you are right now?

I think people are getting tired, they start slacking off on the health protocol. I am like, please, we need to wait a little while longer until we get vaccinated. Otherwise, we try as much as possible to adhere to the protocol and not to go out, except when it is very important.

Where are you based right now?

I am in Purworejo, it is a regency in Central Java, actually quite close to Yogyakarta, it is in the West of Jogjakarta. At first, the police are routinely checking, but nowadays they do not do that anymore. When you go out, sometimes, you see people without a mask. I think they are more scared of law enforcement than the virus itself.

So, Amalia is the owner of Ing Madyokusuman and runs sustainable eco-friendly jumputan-based products. We will talk a whole lot more and probably we can start with a little introduction about Amalia and your journey to starting up Ing Madyokusuman.

My name is Amalia Setiabudi, people usually called me Amalia or with a lot of other nicknames. I was born in Jakarta and I grew up in Tangerang. I grew up with a love for reading books and Japanese manga and anime. A pretty normal and a nerdy kid growing up, I guess. Then, because of my father’s job, our family moved abroad a couple times. We lived abroad for about 10 years. I did my Bachelor’s degree and continued my Master’s abroad. I went back to Indonesia in 2015 and in 2016, I started Ing Madyokusuman.

How do you get to know or get introduced to textiles, jumputan specifically?

Like many, it started with batik because we used to wear batik for formal occasions or work, and for some schools, we have batik uniforms. Later, I found out that my grandparents used to own a handstamped batik workshop in Kebumen. When I found out about it, I thought that was interesting.

So, actually we started with batik. When I moved back to Indonesia, to Purworejo, we saw a Batik Expo here and we found out that one of the artisans teaches batik, so we signed up for a batik course. We learn to make batik there but they use synthetic dyes. It was fun, but when it comes to dyeing, I used synthetic dyes for the first time. I could not stand it – the smell and the feeling that it could be dangerous for my skin. That was how I discovered my dislike for synthetic dyes. Later on, we met another batik teacher from Kulonprogo and she only uses natural dyes. We learn how to use natural dyes as well.

At first, my mother and I wanted to start a batik business, but my mother has some back problems. When you make batik, you have to stay in a certain position and, when you are over 50, you can feel quite a pain in your back. That is what happened to my mum. Then I don’t think I can do batik anymore.

We went to Jogja and found that there is jumputan village. We went there and I think this one is manageable, but jumputan is not as popular as batik and it is difficult to find a teacher too. In the end, we bought shibori books and self-taught,  using shibori technique but we make it like a traditional jumputan. Our basis is Palembang jumputan or sasirangan (from Kalimantan). Unlike shibori that people know, it is like a mix of everything. I think that is what makes jumputan unique.

How did you start with the brand itself, Ing Madyokusuman? What triggers you to start the brand?

At the beginning, it started as a hobby. I never thought that I would start a business. When I was young, when asked, “what do I not want to be?,” I did not want to be an entrepreneur, I have no interest. It started as a hobby and some relatives asked, “What is that?” and they think it is quite good. They asked, “Why don’t you sell it?”

Oh, that is actually sellable and that is a revelation. Ok, let’s start small. At the beginning, it was just my mum and I making a very small batch. As time goes by, we started training artisans because I think we are the only supplier of jumputan in Purworejo. There are many batik artisans, but there are no jumputan. So, actually we need to start from zero for everything, we learn about jumputan ourselves and teach others how to make it.

When do you start the label?

It was started in November 2016. We have already started making jumputan from earlier that year, maybe in January or February.

My next question is what does Ing Madyokusuman mean?

We do not know what to name it but, for some reason, my mom and I want a Javanese name. We are in Central Java, so why not use a Javanese name. We happened to live in a small area which is called Madyokusuman. “Ing” is a Javanese word for “at”, which you can see in our logo. Basically, it means that everything you see here is made in Madyokusuman. Not a village but we have about 100 or so households.

So, where you are staying right now actually.

Yes, where the workshop is too. Everything is made here in Madyokusuman. It doesn’t have any philosophy.

Definitely adds character to the whole brand. Is your family heritage Javanese?

My family is originally from Purworejo, but I was born and grew up in Jakarta.

They do not have documentation of the patterns…. Basically, we are just doing it with a technique (without any design reference).

You mention that you love history and I am sure that you read a lot about shibori and jumputan development. Probably you can share a little bit about the history of jumputan itself in Indonesia?

This is actually something that really bugs me. When you search for batik, there are quite a lot of researchers doing batik, like the history, the meaning, and everything. But when it comes to jumputan there are few scholarly articles and books about it. From what I know, jumputan came during trade between China and India. I do not know when it came to Java exactly, but in Kalimantan it started making around the 13-14th Century. So, I guess, it came through trade from other countries. Different from batik which the people in the keraton (ed.: royal palace) people were making it, more commoners were making jumputan. Hence, there are not many records about jumputan in Indonesia. If you compare it to shibori in Japan, they have books and other things (ed.: records and artefacts). So, I really hope that there is someone out there who is doing research about Indonesian textiles to do research about jumputan, I would really want to know more about it. 

They do not have documentation of the patterns. There are certain patterns in batik, such as kawung or megamendung from this region (and other information), but not for jumputan. Without this knowledge, we can only use our  imagination to make the patterns. For example, for Palembang jumputan or Sasirangan, they have certain lines and colours, but there are not many variations that we can derive from (ed.: to refer to). Basically, we are just doing it with a technique (without any reference).

If anyone… or you! can start your own documentation, I believe. Probably we can collaborate with that too.

Yes, I would love too. 

Just a quick run through, we heard jumputan, kain pelangi, kain sasirangan, how are they different?

The similarity is that all of them use hand-stitching technique to make the patterns. It is a bit different with shibori where you just fold and/or clamp. For jumputan, they concentrate in using hand-stitch for lines and shapes. 

Another difference is the motif. The Palembang jumputan has several dots. In sasirangan, you see more lines. I think each region has their own signature patterns. It is not as diverse as batik where you can see in batik Pekalongan is different from Lasem, also Yogya and Solo are very different. 

I guess the technique is almost the same, but it is of different patterns?

Yes, like in batik.

You mentioned earlier that it is slightly different from Japanese shibori. If you can explain a little bit more about that?

I think Indonesian jumputan focuses more on hand-stitching rather than other techniques. In shibori, you have basic technique, like arashi (pole-wrapping shibori), itajime (shaped-resist technique, cloth is sandwiched and clamped between two pieces of wood), nui shibori (simple running stitch is used on the cloth then pulled tight to gather the cloth) and the tying. For me (ed.: from what I observe), Indonesia jumputan is more focused on stitching. It is only recently that people are learning about shibori and they start using all these techniques. Traditionally, it is all hand-stitched.

I believe that all your references are either in Japanese or those in English?

Yes, Japanese and English books.

Coming back to Ing Madyokusuman, what are patterns and what kind of products that you make?

Like batik, it all started with fabric, the standard 2.25 x 1m. At first, we wanted to translate batik into jumputan, but in the beginning it was really difficult because we did not have the skill, so we started with simple geometric designs. With practice and more experience, we experiment with more shapes and now we can make classic patterns like parang, kawung, mega mendung, and also we experiment with Lasem designs which have more classic elements. 

We were also inspired by tenun ikat from East Nusa Tenggara and Kalimantan. They have really interesting patterns. I think some brands adapt these tenun patterns into batik, (I mean) in contemporary batik. We want to translate these patterns into jumputan. So it is a mix of Indonesian culture and our current interest. For example, this year because we are staying at home, my mom started gardening and I noticed that we made patterns that are influenced by flowers and plants. Or, when I see anime or drama, I notice the clothes, I look at the pattern and I think I can do something with that. It is a random thing, apart from the obvious traditional influence.

One of the things that caught my eye with your designs was the different patterns that are not geometrical, including the landscapes patterns. Those are very impressive. 

That is the combination of years. At the beginning, we just make simple geometric patterns, like a batik pattern that is repeated. When you start experimenting with more designs, you have to use different techniques. Even in stitches, there are several ways to stitch which result in different effects.

You gather your inspiration from whatever that you are working on, including gardening and also Japanese manga.

Because my mother and I really like travelling and I like taking pictures of other places and things. I do not like taking pictures of myself. We look at those photos and see some interesting patterns and designs.

If you can share a little bit more about the creative process to come up with product design and how you incorporate jumputan.

In Ing Madyokusuman, apart from the obvious fabric, we also make home decors (items) like cushion covers, table runners and small things like tote bags, scarfs, even t-shirts and ready-to-wear fashion. 

The first thing is we decide what we want to make, what is the final product. For example, if we want to make a cushion cover, we try to leave as little waste as possible, instead of making a big cloth and you cut it and you end up with waste. When you cut a fabric, especially fabric you make yourself, you will feel sore, thinking of the time and effort making it. 

After we decide on the product, for example, we prepare the fabric just for that cushion cover and we make a design that will fit for that cushion cover. As for the design, I discussed it with my mother, what will be the theme for this product. 

For example, we look at our past photos when we went to the beach, then we make something related to the sea, so we make some wave designs. We started with a rough design, then we drew and made the pattern as per the size of the cushion cover. After we design, we decide which technique we will use for that design, it is part of the drawing process. So, we know exactly how we are going to work on the piece and we can imagine how it will look like when it is finished. You can play with different techniques to create different effects.

For example, for the landscape, if you see closely we use quite a lot of technique there, like lines and borders. Small differences but we pay attention to small details. That is why you need to think about it in the planning stage. 

Then, we start working on the piece and we use hand-stitch according to what we plan, after that we jumput, gather and tie. In the planning stage, we already plan on which colour we want it to be. Of course, we cannot get the exact colour with natural dyes, but the direction we want it to be, like blue-ish or brown-ish or other colours. I think the initial planning is important for us.

You are talking about dyes, so you are mainly working with blues and browns?

Not really. Blue is, of course, the most common dye used. When you mention natural dyes, people may think about blue. But Indonesia has a lot of plants that can be used as dyes. So, we try to experiment with a lot of them. I like experimenting with them actually and also see what happens if we mix those colours, blend them or overdyeing all natural colours. We found out that we can create a really wide range of natural colours. 

What is the most interesting colour that you have worked on?  

I think so far the most challenging but also interesting is to make pinkish shade. Usually if you get natural dyes from tingi (Ceriops) or other tree barks, it will get you reddish but it is always either brownish, red brownish or yellowish. So it does not become pink, considering pink does not have brown or yellow. So, we use secang (Sappanwood), which you can find in traditional drinks. But secang by itself, if you use it on fabric, it disappears quite quickly. When you dye it, it does not really stay for long. The colour fastness is not very good. So, we keep experimenting with secang how to make it more stable on fabric. We tried mixing with other natural dyes and I think it is not quite there. But, we are starting to get pinkish but still want to be more pink than that. We will keep working on it. 

Yes, I imagine the advantages of doing a jumputan is that you can experiment with the different dyes and different materials, whereas in batik because there is a lot of process that is heat treatment, which a lot of dyes will go towards brown most of the time. I would guess there are a lot of interesting colours that you can experiment with jumputan technique.

I think it is precisely because we did batik with natural dyes before that. We noticed that when you remove the colour and you do the ngelorod process, when you use natural dyes, the wax actually bleeds into the colour. It affects the colour. The green will be different from shibori green because of the wax. The blue is different and orange is different. 

After you did the design and when you made it, is it (only) you and your mom who did it or do you have other artisans?

For the design part, it is mostly my mom and I. But for the actual making, we have a couple of employees now whom we trained, so they help us. As for the dyeing, it is not difficult, but, in the beginning, I did all the dyeing by myself and then my father asked why my nails are black. So, now for the dyeing, we let the employees do it but I supervise all the process. 

So you actually train everyone from scratch. I am just wondering how is the reception of jumputan in terms of finding people who want to learn and do this, versus batik that is relatively more popular?

For batik learning, it is because the government has a budget for that. If you are part of a Women’s Association and you want to learn batik, you can get funded by the government to learn whereas there is no such thing for jumputan. I guess, in the end, what matters is your determination. I am friends with a lot of batik brand owners in Purworejo and they always say that after they take in 30 women for a batik workshop, in the end, only two or three will continue making batik. The rest just give up. I think what is important is finding the right person with a good attitude. It does not matter if they are interested in jumputan in the beginning or not. Once they know the process, and if they think it is fun and interesting, it is good. They will then continue. 

What are the challenges that you have or face when you are running Ing Madyokusuman? 

First, it is about educating the customer. When people see our products, they will ask how much is this. Maybe they are familiar with batik or batik with synthetic dyes and they will think that this is expensive. That is why every time we keep half-made things and the natural dyes ready, so that we can explain. 

There are more processes (required) to make a single shape and, obviously, it will take longer to make jumputan of the same pattern, if you compare it with batik. With natural dyes, it takes longer and the dyes are more expensive. If you factor that into the product cost, of course it will be more expensive than batik but we try to keep it at a reasonable level. Constant education is (required) there. 

Also with the pandemic, I think it was also the same with everyone, about marketing and selling. In wastra (textile) business like this, we rely a lot on offline exhibitions like INACRAFT and Adiwastra. Suddenly, for the whole year (in 2020 affected by COVID-19 pandemic) there was no exhibition event at all and we move towards online marketing. If you think of the customer segments of these products, they are usually of age maybe 35 and above. They may use social media, but they do not use e-commerce that much. So we really need to step up on the engagement and customer service so that you can retain your customers. 

Yes. I think you sounded all the common responses in terms of the challenges during the pandemic. I am just very curious in terms of operations, do you have any problems with operation during the pandemic, is it business as usual or how did you manage that?

It is easier for us to manage because we are a small team anyway. We also have our workshop here and we follow the health protocol, like washing hands and using masks. In terms of operational, it is quite easy to manage because we are a small team and also a good thing is that before the pandemic, I have already had contact with suppliers and producers of the materials and the dye sets that we use. Once the pandemic (hits), even though we cannot go there directly anymore, we can just Whatsapp and I just tell them what I need.

Talking about sources and supplies, where do you get your sources and supplies?

Well, in the beginning we did not know much about fabric. so we just used the fabrics that we thought were good. But, later on, we started thinking about sustainability and the fabric itself, we started using organic-certified fabrics like Bemberg, Tencel and hand-woven cotton. It is interesting because we got in contact with the supplier and we learned that the hand-woven cotton that they make is actually homegrown cotton in Klaten. All are harvested, hand-spun and hand-woven there. I guess that is really good. So we use their fabric for our scarf. That is for the fabric side. We try to be as sustainable as possible even though we still cannot do it 100%. 

As for natural dyes, for the indigo, we know the people who actually grow the plants and they turned into paste. So we know where it sourced. We also take waste wood from the furniture (-making facilities) for the waste wood like mahogany and acacia. As for leaves, like the mango, we have our mango tree at home and we prune it ourselves.

Actually, for wood-based natural dyes, I think because of the fear of competition, the suppliers are not very transparent about where they source. Not that I want to start a natural dyes business, I just want to know where these are planted, are they harvesting sustainably. But sadly, people are still not transparent about it. We do not ask much, just where is this from and whether you do it without exploiting nature. For example, tingi (Ceriops Tagal) is a mangrove and mangrove is very important for the ecosystem. Of course, we do not want to overharvest it.

It sounds like you have put in a lot of effort in ensuring and maintaining sustainable practices from how you select your sources, make sure they are sustainably harvested and produced and also ask about working conditions. Are there any other processes or ideas that you might want to implement with your business, but you have not done?

To make natural dyes from wood, for example, you need tree barks, boil them and get the colour from that. What we do after that is waste, we just compose it as it is biodegradable. If there is some other way we can use (to transform) this post dye (waste) to become something else, I think it would be more circular instead of just recycling and composting. It can be something more valuable.

We live in Purworejo where it is abundant with bamboo. When we think of eco-friendly packaging, a lot of people use cardboard boxes. Since we have a lot of bamboo and there are a lot of women working with this besek. So for our packaging, we actually use this custom-made besek. You will get the jumputan inside this and people love it. It is good for the environment and you can re-use it, you can give it again to someone else. It is also good for the women who made the box. It is a win-win. That is why we want the waste from our dyes, if possible, to be made into something of value again.

If there is some other way we can use (to transform) this post dye (waste) to become something else, I think it would be more circular instead of just recycling and composting. It can be something more valuable.

Very holistic view of how you manage natural resources, to maximize the potential of all these resources.

Even though we are committed to be sustainable, to really become sustainable, you have to think of the end of life of your materials and also your products. I am also thinking that we have been doing this for about four years now and we have some old products that have not been sold yet. So, sometimes we re-dye, not really remake. Surprisingly, people got interested and they bought it. 

Maybe in the future, if you get bored with the product and you want to re-dye in different colours, you can just give it to us and we will do it for you. I think the problem with people these days is that they get bored quite easily with their stuff and they just keep buying more. If you can do something more interesting with stuff that you already have, it can also lengthen the lifespan. 

Definitely, how we get creative in maximising the resources that we have and in refreshing the look. 

The interesting thing about these natural dyes is that after you get your product, the colour is still alive. It is still changing and reacting with your environment. I have a t-shirt that is dyed green and my friend got a t-shirt which was also dyed green. I live here and my friend lives in Jakarta. After some time, due to the different water composition, after around one year, mine got more bluish while hers got more yellowish. This is interesting. So I think some people do not feel like using natural dyes because they thought the colour would fade. Actually, after you wash it a couple of times, it will stabilise. In the end, the product is just for you and it will adapt with you. 

And they say natural dyes are living colours.

About collaboration, I see that you mentioned the World Shibori Network and then you mentioned that you were attending the e-Trade for women eMasterclass Southeast Asia by UNCTAD? 

Yes. The program was organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. I happened to know about it by chance. In September last year, I was browsing through Instagram and I followed Helianti Hilman who is the founder of Javara and is also a sustainability champion, but in terms of local food. 

In that Instagram post, she said that she was appointed the UNCTAD ambassador for e-Trade for women and there will be a program for women in Southeast Asia. So, I applied. In the end, they choose 18 participants from five countries. We had a three-week program on how to develop our business digitally and it is not only about selling your products online, but what I find really interesting is how Helianti uses digital technology to actually promote sustainability. For example, she has moringa powder that her brand makes. There is a QR code and if you scan the QR code, you can know in which part of Indonesia it is made. This is interesting information. I am still working on it, but if we can somehow use the same principle, for example for hand-woven stuff, if you scan and there is information where this cotton is from and so on, I think it will be interesting and also it can educate people about sustainability and it will help local artisans and other people. 

Are the 18 participants from the cultural heritage sector? 

No, a lot of various businesses, some in fashion, food, and also some are building e-commerce in their countries. It is diverse. It is not only about sustainability, but more about how to use technology to leverage your business.

It sounds really interesting and there are a lot of learnings that you got. One of them is the QR code. Anything else that stands out that you might be able to share with us?

After the program finished, they announced that they are going to create a space for the women community in Southeast Asia, with us as a participant of the program as founding members. We have met a couple of times since then. So, they are currently accepting registrations and the requirements are in our Instagram. If you are interested, please do (apply). Even though what you are doing is different, but still, there are still unexpected things that you can learn. At first, I do not know what is the connection between, for example, culture, natural dyes with technology, but then you will find this connection and it will definitely help you going forward. 

I definitely agree. So, one of the aims of this aNERDspective is also to give different perspective around textiles, although it is not specifically culture and heritage. So, we have different processes on natural dyes, on sustainability. As you say, it might trigger something that might be applied to your business whether it is textile or not. 

Well, the pandemic is still going on, but what are some of the ongoing projects that Ing Madyokusuman has in store or that we can expect in the near future?

I would like to connect with people from different backgrounds, a designer, artist, or even someone with technology-based, or even researcher because I really want to know the story about jumputan in Indonesia, how we can develop jumputan even further. Also, we are still doing our research in natural dyes because when you start this, there is no end to it. 

Of course, we would like to expand our market. So, maybe going global. For now, we have our Etsy shop. For those of you who live outside Indonesia, you can order our products, but for these kinds of products, it is different when you see the picture and when you see it yourself and touch and feel the product. If we can collaborate with, for example, Indonesians living abroad or other (interested parties), who might be interested in showcasing our products, I will be open to that. 

Thank you so much for dropping by. Probably before we close, do you have any final words for your fans?  

Thank you for tuning in this aNERDspective. I hope it will give you new information about what is jumputan or why sustainability matters. I hope it might trigger something in you and help you with your own business, or whatever you are doing. If you are interested in jumputan, just feel free to contact me and I will be happy to chat with you. Thank you so much for having me and I hope to see you again.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of aNERDspective. Check out the previous episode on IGTV and our gallery and store if you would like a piece of Indonesia for your home or wardrobe. You may also check out Ing Madyokusuman’s Instagram or Website for the latest Ing Madyokusuman collection.

Photo credit: Ing Madyokusuman, unless stated otherwise.