Nature is Protected, Economy is Moving: The Story of Jarihitam Ecoprint from Bandung

Irfan Kristiyanto. (Photo: Mery Handayani/VOI)

BANDUNG - From the leaves and branches that are often neglected around the neighborhood, Irfan Kristiyanto actually found a source of inspiration.

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The simple natural material he processed into a high-value work that now penetrates the global market, from France to Russia.

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Through the Jarihitam Ecoprint brand, Irfan makes nature not only a source of raw materials, but also part of the creative process.

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Leaves and branches arranged on a piece of cloth are processed with the ecoprint technique into various products, ranging from cloth, clothing, bags, shoes, to veils, each with a unique natural motif and never really the same.

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The man, who is familiarly called Pak Iwang, explained that the Jarihitam brand was chosen as a symbol of a hand that is almost never really clean, always black and smells of leaves due to its activities in processing natural materials.

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"As long as my hands are still black, it means there is still work. If it is white (clean), it means I have retired," said Irfan when met at the Jarihitam Ecoprint production studio, in Lembang, Bandung, West Java, written Monday, December 15.

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Iwang told Jarihitam was initiated in 2018, starting from his curiosity about the ecoprint technique which at that time was not widely known in Indonesia.

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However, his journey was not easy because of the lack of information he could get.

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"Look for information on ecoprint on the internet, there is almost none. Very little. There I immediately thought, this is interesting," he said with a smile.

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At that time, Iwang was still working in the field of observatories. However, because his curiosity was strong to pursue the ecoprint business, he chose to take a break from his job.

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"I think this is very interesting, because the ingredients are from the environment, everything is around us. And the issue is very sexy, as long as ecoprint will never die," he said.

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Iwang began to experiment intensively. For two months, he tried various techniques, types of fabric, and leaves around his house, until he finally found the right formula.

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Three months after Jarihitam was established, Iwang dared to open an ecoprint class for the surrounding community.

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This step is aimed at ensuring that business development goes hand in hand with the sustainability of nature.

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"When I teach and invite people to learn ecoprint, the hope is that many people will plant. We must maintain continuity, don't just take leaves and move places. It's the same as pests," he said.

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From Bandung to Belgium to Russia

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With an initial capital of around IDR 25 million that was collected gradually, Iwang began to seriously pursue ecoprint.

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Now, with various products ranging from fabrics, clothing, bags, to shoes, Jarihitam's business is able to generate sales ranging from IDR 40 million to IDR 50 million per month.

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Iwang revealed that the commercialization of Jarihitam began through various offline exhibitions since 2018.

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He admitted that he deliberately did not immediately enter the online market, because according to him, ecoprint must be touched and felt directly by prospective buyers.

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The doors of the global market began to open when the West Java Industrial and Trade Office (Disperindag) invited Jarihitam on a trade mission.

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Belgium became the first country to be visited in 2018, followed by France and Germany in 2019, then New Zealand in 2020.

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The longest export cooperation has been established with buyers from Russia since 2024 and is still ongoing.

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"Next year, hopefully, other doors of opportunity will open," said Iwang.

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As demand increases, Iwang chooses to build a community network rather than setting up a large factory.

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Residents around the production studio located in Lembang, Bandung and class participants are involved in the production chain, ranging from tailors to raw material suppliers.

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Iwang also expands the community through collaboration with Tlatah Nusantara Raya Marketing Cooperative and Jasa Raharja, members of the Indonesia Financial Group (IFG) holding.

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Through this cooperation, Iwang provides ecoprint training for heirs of traffic accident victims.

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Thus, they can be involved in the supply chain of the Jarihitam production.

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Iwang said, Tlatah Nusantara Raya also played a role in making Jarihitam more widely known.

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He said, Tlatah markets its products in eight boutiques located in a number of hotels in Bandung.

"Currently, the capital of Jarihitam comes entirely from self-funding.

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Currently, said Iwang, Jarihitam's capital is entirely derived from its own funds.

However, if there is a large-scale order, he opens up greater funding opportunities to develop his business.

Moreover, he said, currently the Jarihitam business is supported by a large community, so that resources to meet orders are also increasingly adequate.

"I used to think that if I got a lot of orders, I would be overwhelmed if I did it myself. But after having many students, no matter how many orders come in, I'm ready," said Iwang.