BY KEN SAKAMOTO / STAR-BULLETIN
Woven cermonial fabric from Sumba are shown
at left with puppets from Java.

Indonesian designs are
fabric of business success

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By Suzanne Tswei
Honolulu Star-Bulletin

THE FINEST hand-decorated fabric from Indonesia can be humble cotton or luxurious silk, of contemporary design or traditional pattern, and some of the best examples of can be found at Toko Kain Design Gallery, which has been gaining admirers through word of mouth since its quiet December opening at Dole Cannery.

Part-owner Peter Raub, a transplanted fabric designer from Manhattan, carries one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted fabric from the finest batik houses throughout Indonesia.

At Toko Kain, meaning "fabric shop " in Indonesian, batik is treated as a work of art meant to be hung on hand-carved wooden rods ($30 to $48.)

"Each one is done by hand very carefully," Raub said. "There is so much work involved and they are so beautiful."

"At one time, not everybody could buy these. The specific patterns come from specific houses and they are meant for royalty ..." Peter Raub, Toko Kain Design

Raub goes to Indonesia twice a year to find contemporary pieces from artists' studios or seek out antique batik from dealers. He sells them in his store for $75 to $300 depending on the fabric, complexity of design, age and size.

Less expensive printed batiks, about $30, also are available.

Batik patterns and colors are associated with the locales where they are produced, Raub said. The rich tobacco browns and deep blues, which are traditional colors, come from Central Java and once were available only to royalty.

"At one time, not everybody could buy these. The specific patterns come from specific houses and they are meant for specific royalty for specific occasions only," Raub emphasized.

An abstract cloud pattern, influenced by traditional Chinese design, comes from Cirebon on the northern coast of Java, he said.

Cotton batiks are best used as wall hangings while sheer silk batiks can be hung in doorways or from the ceiling, Raub said.

BY KEN SAKAMOTO / STAR-BULLETIN
Wooden puppets are dressed in costumes of Indonesia.
Behind them is a batik wall hanging.

"The sheer ones don't always look like traditional batik. People don't always know what to do with them, but once they see them hung, they realize the batik can be seen as paintings or as a decorative element in the home," Raub said.

The store also carries woven ikat fabric, shadow puppets, baskets and other unusual items from Indonesia. There is also a small collection of men's batik shirts from Ardiyanto, a premiere Indonesian batik designer whose work is prized by the Empress of Japan and Parisian couturiers.

Ardiyanto's shirts retail for $55, while batik shirts by other artists are priced from $38 to $65.

Some of the most unusual items in the store are made from the delicate, wavy roots of Vetiver, a plant with the scent of sandalwood. The line includes placemats ($8), table runners ($16), fans ($6) and small vases and coasters.

Raub suggests hanging the fans from a shower curtain, allowing the steam from the shower to coax more scent out of them.

Other small gift items include leaf-covered books ($10), and flower earrings and pins made from colored fish scales.

Raub, who took up Chinese brush painting since moving here two years ago, also sells his own paintings. Some are Western abstract watercolors and others are Asian-inspired landscapes mounted as Chinese scrolls. These are priced from $100 to $375.

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