In celebration of our 14th anniversary, we are extending our appreciation to those who have made significant contributions to the improvement of design in Indonesia by presenting Indonesia Design Best Design Awards. This is Edward Hutabarat, a nominee in the Best Fashion Designer category.
As one of Indonesia’s senior fashion designers who has been creating for over three decades, Edward Hutabarat has been vocal in promoting traditional Indonesian textiles since his career began in 1981. He believes the motifs on the textile have a deep philosophical meaning that represents a country’s civilisation. As part of his mission to keep on promoting Indonesia’s great heritage and culture, Edward’s attention this year was on the traditional Lurik batik that was popular among the traditional Javanese in the past.
A textile with a small striped motif, Lurik is made of rough cotton and is affordable in price. Over time, Lurik has slowly been disappearing. The few remaining Lurik artisans are mostly 60 to 85 years old. Edward took that to mind and was inspired to present a collection called Tangan-Tangan Renta Lurik Indonesia (The Old Hands of Indonesian Lurik) in cooperation with Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation. In his hands, Lurik is transformed into a contemporary high fashion collection.