he function of sarongs in the great Islamic day of Islamic day
When Lebaran arrives, sarongs return to a place like a diamond. Besides as one of the tools of prayer in the feast, as well as a gift to be given to family or relatives.
What is interesting is that the sarong turns out not only to function as a prayer tool as it appears on the surface. Sarongs produced in almost every region have different functions. Some are used for traditional clothes, wedding parties or traditional ceremonies.
"Actually in various regions in Indonesia, sarongs have been around forever, in every production center of woven fabric, batik or dye / tie dye," said Taruna K. Kusmayadi, designer who is also advisor of fashion designer association Indonesian Fashion Chamber, in Jakarta, Friday (23/6).
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According to Nuna, as he is usually called, the production of cloth varies in each region because it depends on cultural assimilation or acculturation of each region. For example, the influence of China in Palembang influenced the result of songket woven fabric in the area.
"Even so, the influence of Portuguese culture in NTT can be seen in the pattern of roses or wine in the woven fabric of his dye," he said.
In addition, there are also sarongs which became known as the production of Non Weaving Machine Starting from Bugis sarong or Plekat sarong. However, because it is too expensive to produce ATBM, then semi-machinear use is used to produce it, until the engine is completely made.
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"An identical sarong with a prayer tool may be due to its practicality, the boarding school's residents use it not only for prayer but for daily life around the cottage," he said.
It is different when compared with other areas, such as Bali. There, said Nuna, sarongs are worn for traditional and religious ceremonies. Meanwhile, in NTT, sarongs are worn for everyday life, even to protect the body from the rather cold night temperatures.
"However, sarongs are Indonesian culture, forgetting sarongs is the same as forgetting their own culture," he said.
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Moving from that thought too, Nuna and a number of other designers participated in socializing the movement 'sarong is my new denim' in popularizing the use of sarong as an urban style.
"Why do we adapt Western culture very easily, while our ancestor-inherited culture is simply forgotten."
A number of designers, he said, are now serious about 'recycling' Indonesian fabrics into a fashion item and sustainable. "To continue to be developed and created so that always follow the present aspect,