Bali gov’t grants Dior permission to use kain endek for its collection

Some of the looks featuring kain endek at Dior’s Spring/Summer 2021 show. Photos: Indonesian embassy (KBRI) in Paris.
Some of the looks featuring kain endek at Dior’s Spring/Summer 2021 show. Photos: Indonesian embassy (KBRI) in Paris.

Bali provincial government and French fashion house Dior will be working together to promote warp-print fabrics native to the Indonesian province known as kain endek, after the material was showcased at Paris Fashion Week last year. 

Related ⁠— Bali’s kain endek gains spotlight on Dior’s runway during Paris Fashion Week

Governor Wayan Koster signed a memorandum of understanding with Dior’s senior vice president and general counsel, Marie Champey, during a virtual meeting last Friday. According to a press release issued by the Bali administration, the agreement includes cooperation to empower small and medium enterprises in Bali that produces handwoven endek.

Bali province has granted Dior permission to use its kain endek on the latter’s collection, as long as they are handmade by Balinese artisans, and that the handwoven patterns acquire intellectual property rights that specifies Bali as its geographical indication. In addition, Dior is prohibited from using kain endek produced beyond the province that uses modern weaving machines or other printing tools.

The agreement also contains more specific details, such as the provincial government requiring transparent and accountable information from Dior on the order fulfillment, or that the maximum length for each pattern is set at 105 centimeters.

“Considering the limited capacity to produce kain endek Bali and in order for artisans in Bali to fulfill the demands of Christian Dior Fashion House, then orders for kain endek Bali should be done in advance,” Koster said.

Kain endek is popular among many Balinese and believed to have originated from the Klungkung regency. Though the woven fabric has been around for centuries, endek reportedly only became more commercialized around the ‘80s.



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