FMS RAVE; Meet Eugene from Kreasi Indah

Fashion Makerspace RAVE (Really Aspiring & Very Enterprising) Student Spotlight

When a 26-year-old heritage batik store was on the brink of closing, Eugene saw opportunity instead of an ending. Kreasi Indah, a long-standing batik business owned by his close friend’s family, was struggling to stay afloat, and Eugene stepped in by purchasing part of the inventory and continuing the business. 

What was the realisation/moment that convinced you to step in and revive Kreasi Indah when it was on the brink of shutting down, and why did you feel it was worth saving a nearly 26-year-old batik heritage brand?

A little backstory was that this business (Kreasi Indah) was owned by a close friend's parents. So they were originally from Tanjong Katong Complex, and eventually it closed down, and they relocated to Kinex. Their business was going steady until they moved here, where the crowd was a little bad. I felt that there was an opportunity, so I bought over a certain amount of inventory, took over the whole business, and undertook the whole list. There are not many batik stores in Singapore, especially those that sell a little bit more heritage, traditional designs.

You personally enrolled in sewing courses to deepen your understanding of garment construction. What has that hands-on learning taught you about fashion design and entrepreneurship? And how has this transformation from consumer to craft-maker changed your perspective on the fashion industry and impacted the way you run your business?

There was a need for me to understand a little bit of garments and construction, because if I am going to the boss, I have to understand the science and engineering behind it. So for me personally, I enrolled in the course and honestly, I was very afraid cause I'm a male, and I would assume sewing is a very female-dominated field. It helped me a lot in terms of upgrading my skills and enabled me to have proper knowledge to give proper instruction to my seamstress.

You mentioned that Kreasi Indah partners with small-batch artisans. What criteria do you use when choosing which artisans to work with? And what qualities or practices signal to you that an artisan is aligned with the level of craftsmanship and authenticity you want the brand to represent?

So far Indonesian culture actually draws many different types of birds, animals, and plants. Different parts of Java draw different things, as they have different cultures, different beliefs. Kreasi Indah chooses a mixture of patterns. For some of our more Baba and Peranakan customers, we have neutral and light colour clothes, and for our more maleyu customers, we have more classic designs like the Peacock, which symbolises beauty. At the end of the day, my recommendation is just choose a colour palette that you're comfortable with, can match with your daily wardrobe.

Anything you would like to say to your audience? 

For those who haven't had a single piece of batik in their wardrobe, feel free to come down to get one for yourself. Get one that really speaks to you; it doesn't matter if it's vibrant or dull. For me personally, I like vibrant ones because batik is not a plain tee, it's actually designed hand-drawn by someone, inspired by cultural significance. 

If you’ve ever been curious about batik or want to own something truly special, this is your sign ✨ Browse Kreasi Indah’s batik pieces, and wear a little history with pride 💙Check them out here!