Japanese apparel company Uniqlo has launched a special collection of items featuring traditional motifs of Indonesian batik, a heritage included on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity in 2009.
As part of a second program in the Uniqlo Factory Worker Empowerment Project, a portion of sales is be allocated toward helping with education for employees working in parent company Fast Retailing‘s affiliated factories in Indonesia. The special collection is available at five stores in Japan and on Uniqlo’s website.
The batik patterns are part of Uniqlo’s LifeWear concept of offering clothes for a better life for everyone, every day. The collection of eight items includes men’s and women’s shirts as well as summer dresses. The batik patterns are original motifs jointly developed by Uniqlo and a designer recommended by the Indonesian Batik Foundation.
The empowerment project was introduced last year, the first supporting female workers in sewing factories in Bangladesh through a women’s line featuring traditional Bangladesh clothing motifs. This sold in 14 markets worldwide, with a portion of sales being used for educational programs in such areas as nutrition, hygiene and health management.
The education project is expected to run for about three years, and reach around 12,000 people.