Indonesia: Batik Industry Claims Sales Have Dropped 30 Percent

• Oct 03, 2017

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Owner of textile company Hesandra Indonesia, Fanti Wahyu Nurvita, reveals that batik sales for the premium market are experiencing a 30 percent drop in the last three years.

“Conditions in the batik industry is not a booming market as it was four to five years ago,” said Fanti on Tuesday, October 3.

She argues that the phenomenon is likely caused by switching economy where the batik that is selling well in the market are the affordable variants targeted for the middle-class. “The premium batik still has its followers, even though it isn’t as many as it used to be,” said Fanti.

Despite the negative atmosphere of the high-end batik industry, Fanti believes that the industry will continue to grow considering that it is traditionally still the main dress code for attending formal events in Indonesia.

Mayang, a batik merchant at Tanah Abang market admits that her income also dropped roughly 30 percent compared to normal days. “My daily income used to generate Rp10 million, but it has dropped to Rp6-6,5 million,” she said.

She also expressed that the National Batik Day did not make any significant difference to the consumer’s purchasing power towards batik. However, she claimed that batik sales can triple during weekends and national holidays.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/10/03/056911988/Batik-Industry-Claims-Sales-Have-Dropped-30-Percent