The Charm of Lasem

In 14th century, this port town was a city bustling with opium, kampongs of immigrants from Champa, India, and Southern China, and white colored houses smelled of wax. Lasem was ruled by a queen titled Bhre Lasem. The queen made the city one of the biggest ports in Nusantara with its famous boats, opium, and agricultural goods. This success attracted many merchants and sailors from Portuguese, India, South China, and Champa (Vietnam) to come. One of them is Bi Nang Un, who came with his wife, Na Li Ni.

We dedicate Lasem Merdeka, this collection, to the memories of Lasem; candu, batik, immigrants from China, India, Champa, and the dark red color that dominates the Batik, just like the red in Indonesian flag.

This collection is designed by Febrina Siahaan (Ebi), our designer who is known with her fondness of Indonesian textile and her love of combining modern lines and batik. We had a chat with her a while ago about Lasem Merdeka.

P: Hi Eby, could you tell us about Lasem Merdeka?

E: Sure! We wanted to make a collection dedicated to Indonesia Independence Day. After having several brainstorming sessions, it was narrowed down to Lasem. It was chosen because the rich influence of China, mixed with Javanese, shows how diverse our culture is, and the red signature color represents the color of Indonesia’s independence. So that’s why it’s called Lasem Merdeka

P: How did you come up with two patterns?

E: Sure! We wanted to make a collection dedicated to Indonesia Independence Day. After having several brainstorming sessions, it was narrowed down to Lasem. It was chosen because the rich influence of China, mixed with Javanese, shows how diverse our culture is, and the red signature color represents the color of Indonesia’s independence. So that’s why it’s called Lasem Merdeka.

P: What are the challenges you found during the process of designing this collection?

E: This collection uses classic Lasem’s batik pattern with line and dot as symbols of history and philosophy. I wanted to respect Lasem, so I put some casual touch with timeless cutting.

P: What are facts about Lasem Batik that people should know?

E: It was “created” by Na Li Ni, the wife of Champa’s commander, with patterns inspired from South China, India, and Mataram (now Yogyakarta). Lasem’s Batik is very vibrant. It shows how rich and diverse the city was. A message for us right now.

Lasem Merdeka is the story of how a little town could hold a safe space for so many people coming from the East, West, and North, as a freeman, as a merchant, and as everyday person celebrating life. It is the beauty of harmony and respect.