The next day, I went shopping with my aunts and cousins for new clothes at a shopping center in the city.
Indonesians are well known for the intricacy of their traditional clothes and the special fabrics manufactured there. However, modern citizens (especially in urban areas) wear more Western clothing than traditional clothing in everyday life. They still wear traditional clothing during formal occasions, though. Interestingly, religion plays a much larger role in the clothing that people wear than in most other countries I’ve seen.
The general type of clothes most popular in Indonesia are light clothes because of the heat and humidity of the equatorial climate, regardless of whether it is traditional or modern. Sandals are extremely popular, as are cotton t-shirts and fabric pants or shorts. This is presumably because cotton t-shirts are among the airiest fabrics, and denim is much heavier than fabric like polyester or cotton. I rarely see anyone dressed in a pair of long blue jeans, although denim shorts are more common.
Indonesia has one of the largest Muslim majorities in the world, so the women there (even if they are not Muslim) tend to dress conservatively. Skirts are expected to be at least knee-length and blouses and shirts are expected to cover the upper arms. These restrictions are generally thrown aside in rural regions and among housewives and servants, as conservative clothes are highly impractical for women who work all day in the heat. But still a great number of women (most visibly in cities and towns) choose to wear Muslim dress, most commonly hijabs. Of course, there are exceptions to every generalization, and seeing a scantily-clad woman in Indonesia is not unheard of, though she might be disapproved of.
Muslim men often wear a peci (also known as a songkok or kopiah), widely worn in Southeast Asia. It is usually made of embroidered or black velvet, felt, or cotton. It is worn at formal occasions. Uniquely in Indonesia, it is a part of the official Presidential attire because it is associated with the secular nationalist movement in the mid-20th century and it was made popular by President Sukarno. Subordinate government officials also wear peci, and even Indonesian palace guards wear it as well.
Batik is arguably the most famous type of fabric and clothing from Indonesia. It is a cloth traditionally made using a manual dyeing technique to form intricate patterns. It can be worn by both genders. Indonesian patterns of batik are sometimes symbolic. Sometimes infants (including me at one point!) are carried by their mothers and guardians in batik slings designed to bring the child luck. (Usually they will make slings whether or not the fabric is symbolic.) Certain batik designs are reserved for brides, bridegrooms and their families, and some are even designated for upper-class people and common people are banned from wearing them. Batik is very important in Javanese ceremonies and are worn in various ways in both formal and casual settings. As with many aspects of Indonesian culture, each region has a different variation of batik and are oft identified by the region from which it came. Batik from Java can be identified by pattern and color into batik pedalaman (inland batik) or batik pesisir (coastal batik). It’s so iconic to Indonesian culture that UNESCO designated batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
The kebaya is a traditional women’s dress that is more endemic to the Javanese, Sudanese, and Balinese peoples. Kebaya is usually worn during official national events by the Indonesian first lady, wives of Indonesian diplomats, and Indonesian ladies. It also worn by Indonesian ladies attending traditional ceremonies and weddings.
Other than general national costumes, each of the provinces and ethnic groups of Indonesia have their own traditional regional costumes, and this post doesn’t even scratch the surface of all the variety of clothing in Indonesia. If you’re interested I encourage you to learn more about it!
