Yudha’s batik collection with his go-to accessory – a belt, carved silver buckle optional. (Photo source: Wahyu Perdana Saputra)

Wahyu “Yudha” Perdana Saputra, a textile drapery artist.

Wahyu Perdana Saputra, or Yudha as he is familiarly known, is a drapery artist who works with Indonesian textile. His knowledge in product design and the understanding of material, allows him to imagine, not just an elegant use of textile without cutting, but also one that is practical and easy to wear for everyday wear.

In this episode of aNERDspective (our NERD talk show where we converse with amazing friends about their textile adventure and perspectives), we talked to Yudha about his textile journey and inspiration to appreciate textiles with a new twist. Yes, Yudha is also demonstrating some tips and looks that you can rock for your textile collection, without cutting them.

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

Tony Sugiarta: Thank you Yudha for joining us in this episode of aNERDspective. We met about a year ago at the textile symposium. On and off, we chat on Instagram and here we are! Probably we can start with a little introduction, I believe our listeners want to know more about yourself.

Wahyu Perdana Saputra (Yudha) : My actual name is Wahyu Perdana Saputra, but most people called me Yudha, it is my nickname. I graduated as a Bachelor of Product Design. Now, I am focusing myself in drapery design and Sumba textiles, which is quite far from what I learnt in college. Now I am working at my campus as a lecturer. From 2012, I was often invited as a talk show speaker and a drapery designer. I have about 4 or 5 fashion shows from 2017 until 2019. You can call me whatever you want – an artist, or lecturer, or anything you like, because it is difficult to find a perfect word to describe myself, but I love to be called as a “drapery artist” or designer.

Definitely, you can not define an artist by a single title. How did you first get interested in textile?

Back in 2008, when I joined a college. In the very beginning, I had no idea about textile, batik or hand-woven tenun. My lecturer discovered my interest in batik and forced me to join a batik design competition in 2008. It was my very first competition which was a totally new thing for me. When you join a competition, you have to learn about everything, that is my first time I put my interest in textiles. The door was opened since then and I learn more about textiles. Although I was learning product design, I combine product design and textile design, and it continues since then.

Your degree in product design actually coincides with the textile drapery design, is there any overlap in the knowledge?

No, in 2014, if I am not mistaken, my mom bought me a tapis sarung and I have no idea what was on my mind that day, because I dared myself to dismantle the sarung and I just put it on a mannequin. Surprisingly, the textile dropped very beautifully and my imagination started to play – I fold it, drape it, and I have no basics in drapery design, I was just trying and just doing it, until now. 

“…in order to know what to do with these textiles, you have to learn and know about the textiles itself.”

How do you get that inspiration when you are working with a new piece of textile?

My inspiration is actually from the Indonesian culture. Indonesian have a rich and diverse culture. I just found out that Indonesian traditional textile arts are intended to be worn without any cutting or stitching which really inspires me a lot. It motivates me to do it in a more contemporary way. And I learned that in order to know what to do with these textiles, you have to learn and know about the textiles itself. Different textiles require different ways of treatment. Different dimensions, different materials, different textures, different thickness, different decorations, (all) require different treatments. 

Can you give some examples?

Yudha demonstrates how to wear a piece of uncut Sumba ikat textile.

Velcro elastic belt to aid textile drapery of thinner cloths.

So, I guess, it worked for thicker materials?

Yes. I always use thick materials. The first time when I was doing drapery, in 2014, I used thick materials. In my first fashion show, in 2017, I used Sumba ikat (traditional dye resist technique by tying strings to the yarn), which was also thick. In 2018 or 2019, I do not really remember, I dared myself to do something completely different from what I have done in the past, I used batik, which is really thin and fragile. When I was doing drapery with batik, I will show you something really important, I used this guard tape made out of an elastic band and a Velcro.

Yudha demonstrates how to wear an uncut batik textile.

You can do anything, because once you practice a drapery design, there are no tips or methods, you can always work with your imagination. It is really fun and the most important thing is that it keeps your textile uncut. I love it because all you need is just a pair of textile, a belt, or anything, and your creativity. That is all.

Yes, some do not even need any accessories? Like, for some, you can just tie a knot or like a simple sarung around the waist, you can do that to  explore.

Or you can use 1, 2, or 3 textiles at one time because it will be fun.

Do you do that?

Of course. 

I personally use a textile at one time. Maybe I should experiment with mix and match.

Yudha demonstrates mix and matching Indonesian textiles.

It is very cool the stuff that you have. Very nice tips and tricks.

That is why I love to shop for belts, small selendang, a lot more selendang like this, a big pile of selendang because I think I might need it someday and then it really helps. 

You will never know when you might need to use stuff. 

Maybe someday. 

How many percent of your collection you have not used actually?

Well, actually I got one Balinese songket, it was made in 2012. It is custom-made because I once fell in love with a Balinese songket. It was made with not only a gold thread but also a colourful thread on vivid pink base, which, for me, is very interesting and very eye-catching. But then, I just found that I am in love with one specific pattern which is called bulan kayonan, which means a blooming moon. It is very difficult to find a specific pattern like that, so I made it from scratch from thread and into finished textile for about 4 months long in 2012, and, till now, it has never been worn even once (for the past) eight years. I roll my songket because it is pink with gold glitters. When I was ordering this songket, I was thinking about what colour describes Balinese textile very well and then I just found that vivid pink is one of them so I made (one in) pink like this and I still do not know how to wear it properly for myself.

It is really very bright and eye-catching.

Yes, but I really love this, because it has a story. This was made by my mom’s friend. I have a friend in Karangasem. Her mom is a traditional songket weaver in Karangasem. So I (ordered) these beautiful cloths, beautiful textiles at her workshop, which are really bright and beautiful, I really love this.

Then, in 2016 I moved to Sumba, a different kind of taste because in a songket, you will find glittering textile with gold, silver thread, bright colours and all. When I first meet Sumba ikat textile, they have a very smooth colour. The pattern itself is really bold. I find Sumba textiles rarely use flowers. They are used to design a pattern with aquatic animals, a lion or a deer which is really bold and quite masculine. It is very different with what I found in a Javanese or Balinese textile. It really moves me and since then, I collect Sumba ikat. 

That will be our next topic as one of the field that you are known for is your knowledge on Sumba textiles. Can you tell a little bit like how you get into Sumba? How you fell in love with Sumba textiles and what happens next?

I first found out about ikat in 2013 if I am not mistaken. I first knew about ikat from Jepara, Troso, which was a cheaper. 

Yudha showcase his drapery on the runway.

Well, Troso is kind of deemed to be the China of the ikat world where you can get ikat from anywhere, made in (Troso,) Jepara.

In 2013, I bought my first ikat textile, which was really cool because there was a little equestrian horse drawn on the textile. I am the kind of person who loves to explore what I bought. When I see something unique, something that moves me to discover, I browse the patterns and then Google told me that the pattern is actually come from Sumba. Then I browse more and I found out that Sumba textile is really expensive, two million rupiah (~141 USD, 188 SGD) at a minimum. I was shocked as when I bought my first ikat in Jepara. It costs about Rp 25,000 (~1.77 USD, 2.35 SGD) for one ikat from Troso and with Sumba motif. I found out that Sumba textile costs about two and a half million rupiah. It means 100 times more expensive. It was jaw dropping for me because I have no money for the textile and you know they are really expensive. I try to raise my money to buy one Sumba ikat someday and I bought my first Sumba ikat textile from Facebook for a price in 750,000 (~53 USD, 70SGD). That was my very first Sumba ikat.

My love for Sumba textile is getting bigger because I am the kind of person who loves to learn something and I want to know. I bought books about Sumba textile. I browse anything about Sumba textile. Then it motivates me to buy another one, and another piece which is more decent, such as made from natural dyes because there are a different types of Sumba textile with a range of price. So, I (have to) save more money. Luckily I was working so I save my money to buy another textiles (and another). Since 2016 until now, I have about 25 Sumba ikat which most of them are antique, just like this one, a brand new one which has a different red colour. This is the newly produced one which I bought in 2018 and this one was made in early 1990s, so it is more than 20 years older. This (antique piece) was cheaper, and because this is the brand new one, it costs cheaper too.

They are both natural dyes, right?

Yes, both natural dyes. Just like this, this red will change with time.

So the difference in colours is because of the time, is that right? 

Yes, because of the time. When it was first made, freshly made from the loom, the textile will be this bright red. And then, as time passes, they will degrade into a terracotta colours. The blue one will be faded and the black one would be like this, brownish. 

That is supposed to be black? 

Yes, that is supposed to be black. I really love the scent of Sumba ikat natural dyes. The red one, which were made from the roots of Morinda Citrifolia. It will be like aromatherapy. I just put this up this morning and the aroma can be smelled everywhere. 

Aroma therapy for textile enthusiasts. 

Exactly. 

Our houses (for textile enthusiasts) smell of morinda, indigo. I also have the cloves’ smell because it is supposed to preserve the textile.

Oh, you also can use akar wangi (Vetiver, Chrysopogon zizanioides). It is a root that has a specific smell.

You get it in Bandung or elsewhere?

Actually, I cannot find it in Bandung but I got it from a florist who sells dried flowers. They also use this for aromatherapy so it is really cool and it will serve better than naphthalene ball. I hate the smell. It is really bad and it stains your textile. So I use the natural preserver for my natural dyes textiles. 

“Keep believing in yourself, keep learning anything that you like because consistency is the only key to reach something bigger.”

As a young textile advocate and enthusiast and, as you mentioned, a little bit about your journey in saving up for a textile, do you have any tips or messages for viewers who are at the beginning of their textile appreciation journey? If you have some kind of tips, or what they should look out for, when they are just about to embark on this deep hole of textile appreciation…. which is not a cheap hobby if I must say. 

Do not mention it! *laughter*

Well, actually I would say that if you love something, do not stop learning, do not stop finding out about what you love. It has been a long journey for me from 2008 until now. It has been twelve years, twelve long years of textile journey for me. Since (the time) I can only afford textile with the price of fifty thousand rupiah  (~4 USD, 5 SGD) and now, surprisingly, I can buy some textiles that are priced at about 10 million  (~710 USD, 945 SGD) rupiah each. This amazes me: what am I doing or what I have done with my money? But when you keep learning about something that you love, you will find a different point of view to appreciate something.

Just like this textile, it takes about one year to make, with four or five people behind it, one who dyes, who makes the pattern, who weaves the textile, who prepares the thread before it was woven. Textile artist is a cooperative venture. When you know and learn the very essential part of this activity, this is something that you have to appreciate, not only for its pattern and visual look, but also the story or journey behind this textile. If you do not learn about it, you will never know about what lies behind, what is happening and who are working behind this textile. Once you get to know that this textile was made by a group of people who is surviving culture and their life while doing these activities to make this masterpiece. You will find that this is the “art piece” that you can also appreciate. When you talk about textile, you are not only talking about (the physical) textile, but you are talking about the people behind it, the culture behind it, and anything that lives. 

That is a very important message there. It is not just about the money that you used to purchase. Of course, financial support is very helpful in helping these artisans (at the moment), but also the effort to keep on learning and understanding the stories behind these cloths, the community and the hands of the artisans who made them.

We are almost towards the end of our conversation. I am wondering what is next for Yudha in the textile world? Is there any upcoming projects or anything that you are working on?

Well, actually I just started my talk show again since months of recess (due to the pandemic). The last (time) I had my talk show was in December 2019, a very long time ago. I actually have an appointment to do an off-air talk show which, for me, is really new because during the pandemic, I have to adapt. Actually, this is the third (interview/event that happened) to be held in virtually but next week, I will do an (in-person) talk show, so wish me luck. 

Before closing, do you have any final thoughts or any messages or any shameless plug that you might have?

I would say: keep believing in yourself, keep learning anything that you like because consistency is the only key to reach something bigger and bigger every day. You will find out that you can do anything better than before when you keep trying and keep believing in your faith and never stop learning. And that is all. 

TS: All right. Thank you once again Yudha. I learn a lot. It has been a lot of fun. And I will see you soon. 

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 to practice your twisting and twirling.

Photo credit: Wahyu Perdana Saputra, unless stated otherwise.