What is Batik?
Updated 3/30/2022
Batik comes from the Javanese words "amba" and "nitik" which means to write and to dot. Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to whole cloth. Batik is traditionally done on tightly woven cotton and that is why it is highly recommended to use as face masks by The New York Times, New York Magazine and NBC News. This technique originated from Java, Indonesia and has been around since the 13th century.
To make batik fabric, the artisans start with a white tightly woven cotton fabric often called "kain mori" or mori fabric. Afterwards, the artisans will apply hot wax on the fabric. There are two ways of applying hot wax on the fabric:
First is by applying hot wax with a spouted tool called a canting. See this video on how our artisans applying hot wax using canting on our Chips batik face mask.
A second method is by printing the wax with a copper block stamp called "cap":
