Minister Of Industry Encourages Batik To Become A Modern Fashion: Can't Be Considered Goods

Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita attended the Fun Run and Walk which was held by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Jakarta, Sunday, August 3. (Photo: Public Relations Bureau of the Ministry of Industry)

JAKARTA - Minister of Industry (Menperin), Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita emphasized that batik should not be seen as something ancient or limited in its use for formal events alone.

He assessed that batik has great potential to appear modern and be popular across generations when developed with a modern design and lifestyle approach. This was stated by the Minister of Industry when attending the peak of the Fun Run and Walk event, in Jakarta, Sunday, August 3.

"Batik should not only be considered old school items, or only used by parents. If it is well designed in the form of clothes, accessories, or shoes, batik can be something cool, cool, cool, and interesting," he said in a written statement.

The Minister of Industry also invited the public not only to make batik symbolically proud, but also to support the sustainability of the industry in real terms.

"So if love is just proud it's not enough. You have to shop, you have to buy, no matter how small it is. Because if we shop for batik, it means that we contribute to strengthening the ecosystem from the batik industry itself. So we have to try to buy, learn, and use batik in our daily lives," he said.

The fashion industry has shown a major contribution to national economic growth. One of its mainstay sub-sectors, namely the small and medium industries (IKM) of fashion including batik, recorded a contribution of 6.92 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the non-oil and gas processing industry in 2024.

The government encourages the development of the batik industry creatively, adaptively, and inclusively, both as cultural and economic forces. This effort is realized through a collaboration between the Ministry of Industry and the Indonesian Batik Foundation (YBI) in the implementation of the 2025 Batik Nusantara (GBN) which has ended today.

"I think the government appreciates YBI, which for the last four days has held the 2025 GBN. This activity is a concrete step in eliminating batik, making it part of people's daily lives, especially the younger generation," said Gumiwang.