Culture Director General Highlights Batik’s Future on National Batik Day

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia commemorates National Batik Day October 2, celebrating batik’s recognition by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009. Batik reflects Indonesia’s cultural identity through distinctive patterns, colors, stories, and traditional craftsmanship passed between generations nationwide today.

Speaking on VOI Talk on Friday, October 2, 2026, Endah Tri Retnoastuti, Director General for Cultural Diplomacy, Promotion, and Cooperation at Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture, said batik represents more than traditional fabric. “Every piece of batik carries our heritage, and reflects our identity, and also reminds us that culture is something that we wear, live with us, and we proudly share with the world,” she stated.

Endah said preserving batik requires balancing traditional cultural values with adaptability, innovation, and contemporary lifestyles among younger generations. She encouraged young people to understand batik’s meanings and stories while incorporating it into fashion, education, technology, design.

She emphasized supporting artisans and communities that maintain traditional batik knowledge, techniques, and cultural meanings for future generations. Traditional techniques, including batik tulis (hand-drawn batik) and batik cap (stamped batik), must continue being practiced and transmitted while connecting with creativity.

Endah hopes younger generations will view batik as living culture they can shape, rather than heritage they inherit. She said creativity, innovation, and ownership among young people will help batik remain relevant while preserving its foundations.

She encouraged young people to explore fashion styles, technologies, and designs while becoming ambassadors for Indonesian batik worldwide. “Preserving batik is important, but its future also depends on the creativity, the innovation, and a sense of ownership among the young people. So, I hope they will find new ways to express it through different kinds of fashion style, technology, design,” she said.

Introducing batik to international audiences, Endah described it as fabric capable of telling stories through patterns and colors. She explained that artisans use wax-resist dyeing techniques, creating motifs carrying meanings connected with nature, values, and history.

Batik’s regional diversity gives each community distinctive motifs and stories, reflecting Indonesia’s cultural landscape and traditions across generations. Endah emphasized that batik belongs beyond museums, remaining part of everyday life through uniforms, workplaces, celebrations, and fashion.