The Creation of Natural Colorant and Batik Prints for the Developmentof Local Batik Community

Abstract

This study was aimed to 1) examine local plants that can be utilized as effective colorant, can substitute the chemical ones, preserve the environment, as well as maintain local wisdom and 2) design new prints for batik which can strengthen capacity of local batik producers continually and permanently. This developmental experiment integrates knowledge and experiences about fashion design and textiles in producing colorants and developing batik prints. Purposive sampling was employed to obtain 10 batik producers. An interview form was applied as a research tool to collect the data regarding colorant test and print design from the producers. Concerning colorants, it was found that the local plants gave 6 six colors. The colorants could be used as natural colorants and substituted chemical colorants as well as preserving local wisdom. Khamsad gave orange color and Mahad provided brownish purple. Similarly, Curcuma resulted in light yellow, while Peka gave light green color. Next, Yan Uad provided dark brown color and the dried plant provided light brown. This plant was a kind of local ivy which was innovatively found lately in the community. All of the colorants were beneficial for Yang Kluay Batik Production Community in Khao Roop Chang, Padang Besar, Sadao, Songkhla. The community could pass on the wisdom to other generations. Moreover, two new prints for batik were designed by the researcher to empower the capabilities of local batik producers. The first one was inspired by the outer part of tree stems, while mushroom, mold, yeast, and bacteria in the neighborhood contributed the latter print. It is potentially that the colorant and the prints could be applied in developing products and textiles of Yang Kluay Batik Production Community.