Some shawls combining main motifs with batik nitik background (Source: Batik Nitik Wundri)

Fitri Hafifah, is the owner of Batik Nitik Wundri. She fell in love with Batik Nitik, a batik design of neat geometrical patterns that made up of square dots, at the first sight. With encouragement and working side by side with her husband, Fitri develops and manages Batik Nitik Wundri in the hopes to promote this specialized batik motif set to a wider audience.

In this episode of aNERDspective (our NERD talk show where we converse with amazing friends about their textile adventure and perspectives), we talked to Fitri about what exactly is batik nitik, what are the differences with other batik technique and how she develops it for the current market.

Note: Full chat is in Bahasa Indonesia and this translation of the transcript has been edited for reading format.

Tony Sugiarta (TS): Welcome Mbak Fitri on today’s episode of aNERDspective. How are you?

Fitri Hafifah (FH): I am good and fine.

How is the pandemic situation there right now?

In a village in Indonesia, I think it is fine. But outside of the village, I think there are many (cases).

Today I want to talk and find out more about the development of batik nitik that you focus on. Probably we can start with a little bit of introduction, who is Mbak Fitri and your journey in starting up Batik Nitik Wundri.

My name is Fitri Hafifah. I am a mother of three. Before I was married, when I was in college, I already started a small batik business. Then I met with my husband who is a batik artist. From there, my batik journey started. From my husband’s batik, there is a development in using or adding nitik motifs to his design. I also sell batik nitik from the artisans and from there, I started working on batik nitik.

What did you study in college?

I studied Library Management in UGM (Gajah Mada University) and I did my Bachelor’s in Economy in IKOPIN (Institut Manajemen Koperasi Indonesia, Institute of Cooperation Management Indonesia) in Sumedang. Very far from batik.

How do you start your batik journey?

In college, I sold some daster (a dress loungewear) to fulfil daily needs. If I went to Sumedang, I will bring back some house dresses with me. I also like batik and sell handstamped batik. I also had a batik course in Tamansari. Then I met my husband who is a batik artist. From there, I like batik and decided to pursue batik.

How do you meet batik makers in Kembangsongo?

Through Mas Bayu, his artisans are originally from Kembangsongo and he developed batik there.

How far is Kembangsongo from Yogya?

About 13 km.

So, you went to Kembang Songo, met batik nitik, and fell in love?

Yes. At first, Mas Bayu added nitik motif on his batik design, such as nitik dopo krikil, nitik cakar ayam, and nitik kembang dangah, etc.

Are you originally from Kembangsongo?

No, I am from Yogya city. I started to like batik when I had a walk around Taman Sari, then I had a batik course. Then I found batik nitik and fell in love. My husband also uses batik nitik in his design.

What is the interesting thing from batik nitik that makes you fall in love?

Nitik has more than 100 kinds of motifs. Until now, I have managed to document about 60 motifs and they are a lot of variety. There are plant motifs, like kembang kentang, sekar dangah, sekar mawar, etc. There are also of animal origins such as cakar ayam, capit yuyu,etc. There are so many developments of batik nitik and there are so many things to be explored and developed.

Earlier you mentioned that you have already documented about 60 motifs. Where is the reference from?

From the batik artisans themselves. I ask them. I have batik nitik, and some mentioned the name below. Mostly, the names are given by the artisans. There are some that I have never seen before and they tell me their stories. There are many developments (ed.: in terms of designs) initiated by the artisans.  

Can you tell us more about the history or the background of batik nitik?

From what I have read, nitik is developed based on the patola (ed.: double ikat woven cloths) from India. Merchants from Gujarat, India, arrived in Java and brought with them patola cloth in which the motif is similar to nitik cakar ayam. They went into keraton (ed.: royal palace) and the cloth was well-loved by the princesses. As it would take time to order the cloth (as they need to sail back and forth to Gujarat), the royal princesses then asked the royal batik artisans to develop that motif on batik. Batik nitik was then developed from within the royal ground. 

As nitik is not a traditional motif (ed.: with strict rules and philosophy), nitik spreads outside of the royal ground and the motif develops further to suit the taste of the general public.

Before we talk about motifs, could you tell us what is the characteristic of batik nitik that differentiate it with other batik?

Nitik motif is about repetition and there are no dividing lines or anything. When people first learn about batik nitik, they will think that this is stamped or printed. Some are so fine that many people think that it is stamped or printed. (Although) it is only repetition, the artisans have to be careful, if the wax bleeds, even a smidge, then it cannot be used.

It is named nitik because the technique is by dotting?

Yes. The canting is also different from regular canting, the shape is a square, not a circle.

So, it is dotting, not dragged like regular batik?

Yes.

With the conventional batik, is the difference only in the canting and the waxing process? Are they any special treatment in the next step, such as in the dyeing step?

As the canting is a square, it is softer and more frail than a round canting. Most batik nitik is waxed on both sides and they have to be exactly the same. Hence, many asked, “why is batik nitik more expensive than Batik Lasem, Batik Klaten or Batik Pekalongan?”

If the wax is out of line, they have to clean the canting. As the motif is symmetrical, they have to be extra careful. Hence, the price is more expensive than coastal batik. It takes longer to make and it has to be precise, neat and symmetrical. 

That is one of the challenges. The price of the “raw” nitik (referring to the cloth that has just been waxed before any dyeing) is almost equivalent to one piece of coastal batik.

Must it be waxed on two sides?

Yes. However, for normal and soft colours, such as red, green and blue, to lower the production cost, we can do it on one side. However, for stronger colours, like sogan (classic brown), it has to be two-sided. Hence, it is more expensive to make classic brown than other colours and it will not be as nice if you don’t wax it on two sides.

I made it colourful so that it is fresh and sale-able.

Do you use synthetic dyes or natural dyes?

We can use both. If we use natural dyes, it will need longer process time and the price will be more expensive.

I cannot imagine, as to make batik nitik, you need to be very precise, right?

Yes, batik nitik artisans are so skillful, don’t you think?

Yes, it is one of those impressive skills. I am amazed by the artisans if they have to be precise on both sides. Do canting for nitik have different sizes like regular round canting? 

There are two types, canting isen and canting klowong. For details and outlines, we use smaller and bigger sizes respectively. 

How about the back? Does it need to be the same-sized canting?

Yes, the same-sized canting (ed.: so it matches exactly).

You mentioned that making classic soga brown colour has to be more careful and needs to be waxed on two sides. Could you tell us more about what is the difference between classic brown and other colours?

For classic brown, it has to be dyed twice and prior, we have to dye it with blue which is a strong dye. The wax might crack. Dyeing process of classic brown is in two rounds. First, for the background colour using strong blue, if only one side, it will make batik cracked. If only one colour and it is a soft colour, the wax is good, even though it is only done on one side.

After you dye with blue?

We remove the wax (by lorod) and we repeat the batik process (i.e. waxing and dyeing) as desired.

You don’t use scraping technique?

It is another technique. After the blue colour, the wax will be scraped using a metal tool, called cawuk, Then you dyed it with brown before you lorod (wax removal using hot boiling water). There are parts that are covered, dyed with brown and finally the wax is removed. Classic brown using lorod technique in between has a cleaner look.

I think I can see a slight difference. Back to motif and rules, you mentioned that because the motif is not a traditional royal motif, so the design is based on aesthetic. Is there any meaning or philosophy behind it?

There are some motifs that have philosophy. For example, cakar ayam motif (ed.: literally chicken’s feet). The philosophy is that hopefully everyone who uses it will be blessed with good fortune. Chicken will scratch the ground all day tirelessly (to look for fortune), hoping that the wearer will be blessed with similar endless good fortune.

Another one is nogo sari that is often used as a betrothal gift – my favorite motif. In a Javanese shadow puppet, nogo sari is the tree that was climbed by Hanoman when he gave Rama’s ring to Sinta when she was held captive in Alengka. This looks like the rays of the gemstone. 

So far, only these two motifs have “philosophy” and are often used in the royal palace. The rest are created after.

Who can use batik nitik?

Since nitik is not a royal motif, like truntum, parang or semen that can only be worn by the King, anyone can use it. There is no prohibition.

Is there any difference between motifs for male or female?

No.

I found it interesting as the names are really simple and very ordinary.

Yes, really simple.

And are all the motifs named by the maker?

Yes.

Is there any connection between development of Nitik and Jlamprang motif in Pekalongan?

I think Jlamprang is the same as Patola cloth from India. I think there is not much development for the Jlamprang motif since Pekalongan is more famous for its coastal style batik (ed.: such as Buketan, Hokokai/Pagi Sore). So, batik makers in Pekalongan are more interested in the coastal batik patterns. Jlamprang is very rigid and there is not much regeneration because there is less interest and less (awareness) campaign.

I see that there is so much development for batik nitik in this modern era. Maybe you could tell us more about this development of the batik nitik motif from the past until now? What is different? What is maintained? 

*While showing some cloths* Nitik, in the past, are mostly brown with scraping technique, not lorod. There are a lot of classic brown colours. Now, I use a lot of colours, such as this, a motif called Dopo Bintang Bang Biron. I made this as the younger audience preferred new colours. Classic brown is preferred by the older age group. 

I have purple.

I have this that I combined with roses. This motif was sold since 2014 and is always sold out. The response is good. I made it colourful so that it is fresh and sale-able.

Do you create any new motif?

Yes, for example this Dopo Bintang. This too, Arum Dalu, is the creation of the artisan.

How do you create a motif, do you discuss it first with the artisans or they can make their motif?

For example, the motif behind you, with so many different types. When they run out of motifs, they will make their own motif. Brilliant, right? Most of the nitik motifs do not have any rules. There is one that is called Nitik Satelit, those are the creations from the artisans.

They only work from that square? Only with a piece of white cloth with pencil gridlines and they can create their own motifs?

Yes, there is no outline in batik nitik. Only 6x6cm grid and they can immediately make the motifs. 

Not even the circles or other guiding shapes?

No, only with 6 cm x 6 cm markings, they can make any motif.

I tried to make Batik Nitik, but I failed. It is so difficult to make a circle. I have to draw the outline first.

Yup, they don’t need any outline. 

Moreover, with a field of 2 x 1 metre, it is cumbersome.

I have a favorite artisan. Mas Bayu’s too. She makes Nitik Menthik, the grid is 3.2 cm instead of 6 cm. She does not need an outline and there are 60 motifs (in her head). It is called Nitik Menthik because they are so tiny, neatly aligned and there is no repetition.

If the motif is diagonal like this, does it mean the squares are arranged diagonally?

Yes, the lines are diagonal. This is called Lerek Nitik.

Are the artisans in the Kembangsongo organised by groups or are they independent / individual batik makers?

They are freelance batik artisans, but they have their own separate groups. Usually there is a group leader or someone who consolidates. For me, I have a consolidator named Mbak Siti and she has about 17 artisans who regularly submit to her.

What is the approximate age range of the existing batik artisans?

The age range of the artisans is usually 45 years old and older.

How do young people respond to nitik?

Usually the young people are not yet interested. Those who are interested are usually women who are already married and have children. They need additional pocket money for their children. That is when they just start learning nitik batik. This regeneration usually happens in young mothers and usually they only can make a certain motif, Dopo Tanjung only, for example. That is because when they just started, they were taught that motif only.

So, each of these batik artisans has their own specialties?

Yes. Because batik nitik is based on memory. The motifs that they are usually good at include Kembang Pace and Jonggrong. I also have a senior batik artisan, my favorite artisan. She can make many motifs, such as Kembang Kentang, Lerek Nitik, etc. She can make around 60 motifs.

Is it all in her head / memory?

Yes, all in her head. She is also one of the most expensive batik artisans in (the field) of batik nitik. I paid her a good sum for her creations.

Normally, is one cloth being completed by one artisans or a group of several artisans? For example, if you want a combination of several motifs, do you rotate it among several batik artisans?

One artisan completes one batik. If one artisan’s work is combined with another artisan’s, the result will be different as their lines and workmanship are different.

During its development, nitik batik has been recognised to receive Geographic Indicator approval. What and how is the effect after batik nitik received this recognition?

To me, the effect is not very significant. Nitik still requires a lot of marketing when people only know about the classic motifs. The wearers of nitik are still rare and, hence, it is not that significant even after receiving the recognition. There is a renowned designer from Yogyakarta, Afif Syakur, who started developing nitik in Jakarta. In my opinion, the recognition has not given any significant impact. 

In my place, the customers are mostly from my husband’s circle, although there are new customers too. However, if someone already falls in love with nitik, they will get hooked. Take one of my customers as example, she wants to order the same batik nitik of various colours. For example, (to have) Dopo Tanjung with various colours too. She only wants nitik.

When you add the nitik background against flowers (or other main motif), they seem to be more alive.

Do you have any plans to promote nitik batik?

Fortunately, my husband is a batik artist and entrepreneur, he inserted batik nitik as a background motif. That is quite helpful to promote. To me, if you put a nitik as a shawl background, it will look “sexy” (an expression to praise something that’s beautiful) and complementing.

One example is Mas Bayu’s shawl, the canting work in Kedungwuni style is very fine, paired with nitik cakar ayam, it gets more beautiful. When you add the nitik background against flowers, they seem to be more alive. If there are designers, such as Edward Hutabarat or Oscar Lawalata, who wants to use nitik or promote nitik in their work, it is likely that nitik’s popularity will increase. (Unfortunately,) they have not taken a glance.

Sometime back, Annisa Pohan, an Indonesian public figure, also wore lerek nitik, and the sales increases. Sales are happening on Instagram too but it quiets down soon after. If there are public figures who wear or promote, that will certainly help to raise awareness about nitik. In general, my husband’s and my clients have known and worn nitik.

I like nitik because of the geometrical motif that is cute and, as you explained before, combining nitik with flower motifs that are not geometrical give them a good contrast.

What are the other challenges that you face when developing nitik and this batik business? 

There is no production challenge because our artisans are always ready. During the pandemic, where they have nowhere to go and they can complete the batik quickly. Right now, there are no gatherings, there is no prayer, they rarely head out, so they will just batik at home. 

Seems like the pandemic has a silver lining for them to stay positive and productive?

Yes, the artisans were very productive. During the pandemic, the problem is the sales. People do not go out and mostly work from home. There are no weddings and they do not travel. Hence, sales dropped. But everything is caused by many factors. Batik is not a basic necessity and the drop in sales is understood. There is nothing that we can do as everything slows down. Right now, we can only pray and hope there are people who are shopaholics. *laughter*. I continue to make nitik that is fun and colorful.

Who gives the idea for the colours, is it from you or consumers’ requests?

Both, there are some from me and some from the client. For example, there is a customer who loves orange or green, I then make every shades of green – light green, turquoise, moss green, etc. When someone wants pink, I make pink. There are customers who have nitik in many colours, such as Nitik Srengenge in six different colours. There are also some who want Dopo Bintang in green-red, blue-red or black-red combinations, I will make it for them.

You mean one customer has the same motif but in different colours?

Yes, there is someone like that who really likes nitik. We have to be smart when releasing (new collection). For example, Dopo Bintang as a new motif, I made it into bang biron (red and blue). There  are not many who own bang biron, so I made (in limited amount of) 5 pieces. In another occasion, I made pieces that are red and green with other motifs so they will buy again. 

Next is the Lerek Nitik, which is normally in classic brown and made in brown and purple. They don’t have it and they will buy it. Next is brown and red and finally brown and green. Just pray and be smart when experimenting with colours during this period. There are many new creations. 

Moving forward, what would you like to work on? Is there any program or plan that we can look forward to from Batik Nitik Wundri?

I actually want to make a Nitik exhibition, make ready-to-wear clothes with playful nitik that is paired with flowers. I have yet to find the designer. 

I also want to publish a book about nitik. There is no good and complete book about nitik yet. I was given a laptop to write with, since three years ago. It has been delayed and has not been completed. Writing a book really requires effort.

What is the progress (of the book) now?

I took a lot of photographs. I have not started writing. There are too many distractions. When I want to start writing, my kid cries (for my attention).

How old are your children?

11 years old, 5.5 years old and 3 years old. They are at the energetic phase now.

If there is someone who wants to collaborate, to make an exhibition, a collection or a book, what kind of partner are you looking for? Maybe there are friends out there who are listening and want to help and to collaborate.

I would really love it. My biggest challenge is in the actual writing. I know what is a nitik, the philosophy, the names. I need someone who wants to type, take notes and analyse the data. I know there are people who are waiting for this book (about nitik) and I would appreciate the help to organise the data.

Before ending this conversation, do you have any concluding remarks or hopes about the development of nitik in the future?

My hope is that there will be more people who will know about nitik. As such, batik nitik will always be in the market. When there are many people who know, there are more demands, there will be more artisans who have jobs and the regeneration will continue. That’s the hope.

Thank you once again for the sharing.

I also would like to thank you for the opportunity to talk about batik nitik. The more people who listen, there are more people who want to know about nitik, buy nitik and, as a result, the artisans and I can continue to work on creating and preserving nitik.

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  Wundri’s Instagram for the latest collection.

Photo credit: Batik Nitik Wundri, unless stated otherwise.