For centuries, the port city of Pekalongan on the north coast of Java, Indonesia, has produced masterful batiks (fabrics patterned with a wax-resist dyeing technique) and traded them overseas to China, India, Japan, the Netherlands and the Middle East.
Unlike their inland counterparts, Pekalongan artisans used bright colors and patterns inspired by other cultures. They produced “pagi-sore” (morning-evening) batik for Chinese and European markets. The style features two different designs — or one design in two different colors — applied on the same cloth.
Detail of kain pangang.
When Japan occupied Indonesia during World War II, the popularity of pagi-sore textiles soared. Dyes and cotton cloth were scarce, and the double pattern gave the wearer two garments in one. The intricate design also appealed to the Japanese, who funded Pekalongan workshops to create batiks with cherry blossoms, butterflies, chrysanthemums and other Japanese motifs to export back home.
Called a “kain panjang” (long cloth), this sarong is densely patterned with flowers and other fauna, as well as a filler motif that creates a tiny design in the background. A woman would have worn the cloth wrapped around her hips, with one end folded to create elegant pleats in the front or to one side. To save costs, she would wear the darker side in the front during the day and feature the lighter side at night.
