Influence of Contemporary Fashion Developments on the Shifting Meanings of Hand-Drawn Batik Lasem, Indonesia

Batik Lasem has been an icon of Indonesia which expresses the life & culture of the Lasem society. In this, the Javanese & Chinese ways of living are assimilated and conveyed through Batik colors, patterns & compositions. However, today, Indonesian contemporary fashion industry has developed many fashion collections using batik as its main material, resulting in changes in the modern batik from the way batik was created. Many disapprove the way it is sewn into fashion. This paper employs a case study method, collaborative design, and development of fashion within the descriptive qualitative paradigm. Data is collected from the fashions developed by the fashion design students from Keimyung University, South Korea & Maranatha Christian University, Indonesia. It concludes that the shifting of meanings of hand-drawn Batik Lasem through contemporary fashion developments are influenced by the creativity and fashion trends of the designers. Indeed, it is shown in the visual elements of fashion such as silhouettes, colors & the textile explorations.