Bali Textile

One of the most striking things about Bali is the rich variety of cloths and materials that are to be seen in thousands of shops throughout the island. However, only a small proportion of these are indigenous to Bali. The myriad of batik clothes and sarongs available everywhere are mainly imported from Java. Large proportions of the woven cloths (lkat) found in and around the Kuta/Legian, area, are imported from the islands of Sumba and Flores. Bali does however, have a very rich textile industry of its own.

The beautiful Songket fabrics worn by performers of traditional dance are a good example. In Songket, gold and silver threads are woven into the cloth to create complex motifs of birds, butterflies and flowers. Sometimes they use so much gold and silver that the underlying cloth is barely visible. Endek or wet ikat is another common method used in Bali. In weft ikat weaving, the weft threads are dyed to create the design and then woven with plain warp threads.

These cloths are recognizable by their abstract designs and bright colors.The least common form of weaving to be seen in Bali is the Geringsing, or double-ikat and it is perhaps the most sought after. This is when both the warp and weft threads are dyed to their final designs before being woven together. With the exception of certain areas in India and Japan, this weaving technique can only be found in the small Bali Aga village of Tenganan, East Bali.