Appreciating Understated Luxury with Batik

Iwan Tirta Private Collection and Auguste Soesastro of Kraton has created a 20-piece ready-to-wear collection using the brand’s exquisite fabrics.

Known as one of the most famous batik brands in the world, Iwan Tirta Private Collection has released a number of collaborations that redefine batik fashion with modern beautiful clothing. Their joint effort with Auguste Soesastro of Kraton has surely created a statement and proves just how elegant and exquisite the modern Indonesian woman can be.

Iwan Tirta Private Collection is an incredible fashion house that showcases the best of Indonesian fabric and culture. After being around for decades, the fashion brand has made an impact in the country, and has helped set the world stage for batik. The brand often collaborates with designers to freshen and modernise batik fabric, and that’s exactly what they did with Auguste Soesastro.

After founding Kraton in New York City in 2008, Auguste and his brand has been known for his focus on understated luxury whilst maintaining the strong and rich heritage of Indonesia. Auguste himself has been formally trained as a fashion designer at the prestigious Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture in Paris and has lived all over the world, but his work is still truly inspired and influenced by Indonesia’s legacy. Working with Auguste was no question for Iwan Tirta Private Collection. His simple and elegant designs perfectly suited what the fashion brand wanted. They wanted their selection of exquisite pieces of batik fabric to be used for a 20-piece ready-to-wear collection using Auguste’s designs. The collection was presented during the Plaza Indonesia Fashion Week Spring/summer 2018, with the special theme, “Kain”, which means “fabric”.

The result was a beautiful collection of sophisticated, elegant pieces such as dresses, outerwear and jumpsuits using Iwan Tirta Private Collection’s batik patterns. Auguste prefers more subdued colour schemes within one fabric and therefore he chose those motifs specifically but in different colours. There was no specific choice for the

types of fabric used; Auguste took advantage of the selection of cotton, handwoven silk, and some satin fabrics available.

“We were given a lead time of three months, so this collection was very fast-paced and we chose from the existing fabrics that Iwan Tirta already had in stock. I chose the fabrics that I thought would pair well with my patterns for this specific collection,” Auguste explained. He used the classic patterns that he has used for his own brand, Kraton. Sleek, clean and structural by design.

When asked how he would describe the woman that would wear this collection, he stated, “The type of woman that would wear these pieces is someone who appreciates the batik motif. Someone who is cultured, and knows Indonesia’s heritage. She is sophisticated, knowledgable, and has an eye for true craftsmanship.”