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Java Connection Sarongs

An introduction to Java Connection sarongs and how they are made

Sarongs Drying (click to enlarge)

What are sarongs?

A sarong is a Malay / Indonesian garment consisting of a long piece of fabric wrapped around the waist or chest. The fabric is usually cotton or rayon and is often decorated with vivid and colourful designs applied using batik techniques.

In Indonesia sarongs are worn everyday by both men and women, although the garments are usually different:

Female sarongs are rectangles of cloth which can be tied around the waist or chest in a variety of styles.
Male sarongs are pre-formed into a tube or cylinder and simply folded round the waist.

Java Connection sells both male and female sarongs.

All of our full-size ladies sarongs and all of our ladies sarong sets are handmade batik - guaranteed! We do sell a few printed and plain sarongs for variety (these are clearly identified in the item descriptions) but our batik sarongs are the stars of the show.

There are many companies selling sarongs with a machine printed batik-type pattern, produced in vast numbers, in large factories. We use more traditional methods.

Why are Java Connection batik sarongs different?

Owing to the nature of the production process, our sarongs cannot be mass-produced. Our handmade batik sarongs have the main wax resist applied by hand stamp - a tjap (see the glossary on the Batik page), with additional small details drawn on by hand using a canting.

Usually the wax is also applied to the reverse side of the cloth to ensure the sarong is equally vivid on both sides. The sarongs are therefore reversible and there is no 'wrong' side. Our sarongs are then dyed by hand, washed in hot water to remove the wax, dried, re-waxed, re-dyed etc. for as many times as necessary to produce the vibrant, intricate designs found on Java Connection sarongs.

Who makes Java Connection batik sarongs?

Our sarongs are made for us in Yogyakarta on the island of Java - the home of the finest batik makers in the world. There is a long tradition of batik making in this area. Our sarongs are produced on a human scale - often by batik artists working from home so that they can be with their families. Many families have been producing batik for generations and will pass their knowledge and skill onto their children.

We have a close relationship with the batik makers, visit them several times a year and pay them a fair price for their their products.

Here are some pictures of the people who make our sarongs (click to enlarge):

Hand waxing batik sarongs1 Hand waxing batik sarongs2 Hand waxing batik sarongs3 Batik Maker Batik Maker of the future

What material is used in Java Connection sarongs?

We use only the best quality cotton and rayon so the sarongs drape beautifully and are long-lasting. Our sarongs are machine washable and fade-resistant if you follow the washing instructions. Java Connection full-size sarongs, and the sarongs in the sarong sets, are a generous 225cm x 115cm (88ins x 45ins), meaning they fit all sizes.