Batik
Also known as: wax resist dyeing, tie-dye
Resist-dyeing technique: parts of the fabric are protected from the dye bath with wax, ties or folds and keep their original colour.
Description
Batik is a resist-dyeing technique thousands of years old with strong cultural importance in Indonesia, Malaysia and West Africa - the word itself comes from Javanese (ambatik = "to write with dots"). UNESCO listed Indonesian batik as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. The principle: certain areas of the fabric are protected from the dye bath by a resist substance and remain undyed.
Three main variants exist: wax batik (classic, applied with hot beeswax by tjanting canting or copper stamp; wax is boiled off after dyeing), tie-dye batik where the fabric is knotted or bound with threads, and fold batik where geometric patterns emerge from repeated folding. Multi-colour batik is produced by repeated waxing and dyeing in progressively darker baths.
In fashion batik saw two peaks: the hippie era of the late 1960s (tie-dye T-shirts) and a revival from 2020 through streetwear and Covid-era DIY culture. For promotional textiles the batik look is today mostly imitated via reactive sublimation or digital all-over printing.
Properties
| Issuer | Not a label - traditional dyeing technique (UNESCO 2009) |
|---|---|
| Scope | Resist dyeing with wax, tying or folding |
| Label | Typical look: irregular colour gradients, crackle, rings |
Related product categories
Sources & references
2- UNESCO: Indonesian Batik ich.unesco.org https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/indonesian-batik-00170
- Wikipedia: Batik Wikipedia — Freie Enzyklopädie https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batik
