Get to Know your Sarong - The Batik Tools

So if you're well informed, you'll know that Batik is a traditional art medium and methodology for creating designs on cloth. It is a technique of applying wax to portions of the material and then dyeing it with colors, followed by removing the wax. We do realize that there's a lot of intricate craftsmanship being put into each sarong piece!

Now the question is, how exactly are they applying wax to the cloth? To answer this question, we'd like to introduce two traditional instruments in the art of Batik making - the Tjanting (Canting) and the Tjaps (Chops).

A 'Tjanting' is a hand drawing tool that functions as a wax pen. This ancient Javanese gadget is used to hold hot wax in a tiny copper bowl attached to a wooden handle. This gives an artist better control and precision when hand crafting batik pattern lines or dots onto a sarong material.

The 'Tjaps' are Batik stamps which are made of copper, where each stamp consist of patterns or designs that are cut out and shaped in detail. The tool is then dipped into wax and used to stamp onto the sarong material to get the best results of aligned and accurate repeat patterns or design borders.

As we continue to run about and meet all the amazing people behind the scenes while sourcing and researching for the best sarong selections, we also like to understand and share knowledge of the production processes as well as cultural references. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Read more about 'What is Batik' or shop for an Indonesian Batik Cotton Sarong!

Inspired by The Sarong Girl: Dorothy Lamour

Island fashion is timeless. While most would think that sarong fashion is a modern trend in the Western world, you’d be surprised to find that the art of sarong wear has been around for decades and is a pop culture that never goes out of fashion.

We are so star struck by this beautiful American actress and singer from the 1930s. Her trademark image of the girl next door with exotic Polynesian features has contributed to her film career where she typically played most of her film roles clad in a sarong. “Lamour appeared in a sarong in 11 of those films, meaning that fully two-thirds of her roles during that ten-year span did not call for her to wrap herself in any manner of South Seas attire”.

The biggest impact of her Hollywood career would be her famous role as "Ulah" in classical film The Jungle Princess (1936). “She publicly burned a sarong, the skimpy South Seas garment with which she had been inseparably associated since her first starring role, in Paramount’s 1936 tropical romance The Jungle Princess (Wilhelm Thiele) (Head and Calistro, 67)”

Looking at these vintage photos, we find her to be very fitting and attractive in a sarong. It’s almost like that everlasting advertisement of all time to show what a sarong represents on a woman’s body. “There was something indelible about the connection between Lamour and her trademark garment: audiences seemed to remember her not for the variety of roles she played, but for those roles in which she appeared in a revealing sarong.”

This South Sea heroine is a reminder to our love and passion for Sarong fashion and as the saying goes, “You Can’t Go Wrong with a Sarong!”

So tell us, what do you think about this sarong beauty icon?

(Text source: http://sensesofcinema.com/2002/22/lamour and note: these images does not belong to us)

Keep Calm and Wear a Sarong

Shop for your sarong right away at www.1worldsarongs.com

You Design & You Shine: Beach Sarong Design Contest

Join our beach sarong design contest! Whether you’re an aspiring or experienced artist, submit your art and have a chance to:

• Win prizes
• Get exposure
• Gain credibility
• Expand your portfolio
• Support a sustainable cause
• Have future design opportunities
• See your designs put into production

This design contest is open to all artists - the more designs you submit, the more opportunity you have to win. So spread the word and tell your friends!

About us:

1 World Sarongs is an international brand based in Southern California, USA that’s been around for 15 years focused on sustainable fashion. If your designs are picked, you’ll be able to have this as a feather in your cap and gain international recognition! 

So what are you waiting for? Get in the game by submitting your sarong designs now! Contest starts now and ends December 30^th 2013.

How to enter:

Step 1: Stick to the theme ‘Floral Beach Sarong’ with a main audience of women ages 20-55 years old.

Step 2: Be inspired and design as many motif ideas as you'd like following the design parameters. All art work must be original and created by you (the contestant) with the right to assign copyright to 1 World Sarongs.

Step 3: Submit all your designs in JPEG/PDF format (High Resolution 300dpi). Make sure you name and describe each design idea. 

Step 4: Send your designs to style@1worldsarongs.com with email subject “1 World Sarongs Design Contest" along with the following details:

1. Full Name:
2. E-mail Address:
3. Mobile Number:

4. Country:

5. Website/Blog/Portfolio (if any):

Kindly ensure all your information is correct. We will send you a confirmation email that we received your submission (if you don’t get a confirmation, we didn’t get your email!).

Judging Criteria:

·         Unique

·         Beautiful

·        Wow Factor

·    Minimal & simplistic

·        Tropical Beach Island Style

·        Wearable Beach/Resort/Cruise Fashion

·         A short written description for each design (minimum 20 words)

Image Design Requirements:

• Maximum 5 colors
• View samples of floral sarongs to get ideas but be unique
• Submit your artwork with the following dimensions: 200 x 115 cm
  
• Design format should be in PSD or JPEG / PDF Files in High Resolution (minimum 300dpi)
• Winning designs will be produced with either hand screen print or batik stamp method. To get an idea on how sarongs will be made watch video here

What will the winners get?

• Contribution to a sustainable fashion brand
• Full credit for winning designs at 1WorldSarongs.com
• Your winning sarong design produced by us and shipped to your doorstep
• Cash vouchers worth up to $500 to redeem any of our products from 1 World Sarongs
• A golden opportunity to be commissioned by a worldwide recognized beach fashion brand to create more designs

Prize:

• 1^st prize – $500 cash voucher valid for 1WorldSarongs.com products + 5 finished sarong pieces of your very own designs
• 2^nd prize – $250 cash voucher valid for 1WorldSarongs.com products + 3 finished sarong pieces of your very own designs
• 3^rd prize – $100 cash voucher valid for 1WorldSarongs.com products + 2 finished sarong pieces of your very own designs
• Plus $50 cash voucher valid for 1WorldSarongs.com products per additional winning design

Contest Terms & Conditions:

·         By submitting your designs to 1WorldSarongs.com, you acknowledge that you assign to 1WorldSarongs.com the entire right, title, and interest in and to the copyright in your design and the right to further sublicense the design.

·    You acknowledge that the design you are assigning to 1WorldSarongs.com is your own original work, has not been previously published, and does not contain any trademarks, logos, copyrighted material, or any other intellectual property belonging to any third party.

·         If your design is selected, 1WorldSarongs.com may use your design in any manner on or in connection with the design, including but not limited to: making derivative works of the design, using the design on the 1WorldSarongs.com website and other affiliated websites and sales channels or promotional materials for 1WorldSarongs.com.

How Do We Make Sarongs? Discover: Screen Print and Batik Stamp Methods

Are you curious and want to know what goes on behind the scenes? 

Research and sourcing is a part of what we do to make sure that we deliver the best of the best sarongs to our customers. It helps us to give value to our products and appreciate the hard work of traditional craftsmanship.

So we've compiled some video snippets of what we've learned and really want to share this knowledge to all those who are passionate about our favorite island wear - Sarong.

Watch our video to discover these two hand made methods - Screen Print and Batik Stamp.


Got questions or comments? Leave your feedback and we'll be more than happy to answer!