Indonesians love to wear batik and batik clothes are very easy to find. That’s less the case for decorative accents around the house. Sure there are some batik pillowcases here and there but nothing affordable that suited my taste, so I decided to take that matter into my own hands.
My go-to place for affordable batik fabric is Thamrin City Mall, a huge indoor market selling mostly textile products (local clothes for children and adults, batik fabric and clothes, cheap fashion accessories, small Indonesian souvenirs…). The market is spread out onto 4 floors so give yourself some time to shop around and try to make a mental note of where the central atrium is (pictured below) to find your way back.
Here’s what I got on my last trip:
- batik fabric (Rp80,000/piece)
- kids clothes (Old Navy, Gap, Carter, between Rp35,000-50,000 for each item)
- batik kids clothes (Rp 40,000-55,000/piece) – perfect for gifting back home
- craft supplies from Charisma
The batik fabric was turned into pillowcases for Rp40,000/piece. I am sure there are cheaper options but Pak Suratman speaks English, came to pick up my fabric and delivered the pillowcases and matching pillows 3 days later. (Pak Suratman – 0818 08771020)
Here are some of my favourite shops.
Alzena Kids (foreign branded kids clothing), 085880736087, Lt 2, blok A3a No. 1
Al-khindi Batik (children batik clothing), 0856 9294 6903, Lt Dasar Blog G5 No 27
Uliena Batik (children batik clothing), 0821 3812 1766, Lt Dasar Relling A Block A 16 (near the escalator)
Arief Azwar Lesmana (big selection of reasonably priced batik and batik tulis), 081 324 30 7000, Lt Dasar Block B 19, No11
On the second floor, close to the central atrium escalator is a store called CHARISMA which sells all sorts of craft supplies at a reasonable price.
Indonesian knick knacks on the 4rd floor
