Wonderland of the Woven

Frankitas aims to build a working community by creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged crafters in remote areas so that they may continue to create traditional works of art.

To achieve this, Frankitas purchases textiles at fair prices either directly from the weavers or through NGO’s that represent them. Supporting skilled artisans from Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, India, and Central Asia, Frankitas uses traditional textile motifs such as Ikat, Batik, Songket, Tenun and Rangrang. These elements are synonymous in the signature statement of a Frankitas and will always remain its ethos.

Our textiles are hand woven using age old traditional methods of weaving and tie dying. Some of our hand-woven fabrics can take up 5 to 22 days to create, depending on the complexity of the motifs as well as the number of colours used.

BATIK is one of the most widely known textiles, that uses hand done wax- resist dying method. Since 13th century South East Asia, Batik holds a special place as a cultural symbol of clothing worn as a sarong by both men and women. Frankitas commonly uses batiks from Indonesia, Malaysia and India.

IKAT is one of the most eco-friendly, hand-woven fabrics using either organic cotton or silk. The word ikat means to bind or to tie. Today, Ikat is used to describe both the ancient hand-loomed technique and the vibrant textiles produced. In the past, Ikat weavings were used in ceremonial dress and to decorate the entrances of homes to symbolize wealth and prestige.

Today, this traditional craft is kept alive in rural settings by passionate craft communities - this is their livelihood- some in remote areas - who want to pass on these skills to their next generation. However it is our collective responsibility to continuously support and buy at fair prices

With hope and pride they work to instruct and create complex and unique pieces that ‘stand alone’ in our highly industrialized, mass-production society.

SONGKET comes from the old musi word sungkit, which means “to hook”. It is a hand-woven fabric, in silk and cotton that belongs to the brocade family of textiles of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. This work of art is intricately patterned with gold or silver threads, once only worn by royalties. The metallic threads stand out against the background cloth to create a shimmering effect, with its combination of distinctive gold or silver thread woven into black silk.

TENUN RANGRANG is beautiful and extremely colourful hand woven textile from the island of Bali and Lombok, with its signature diamonds and chevron motifs. Rangrang literately means “holes” in Balinese because of small holes on the surface of the fabric that create the motif.