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A small hut made out of sago palm leaves led to the entrance of the Rumah Dua8 gallery, where an exhibition of traditional textiles featured in Oscar Lawalata’s latest collection was being held.

Inside the gallery, four elderly women sat on straw mats, their heads bowed over pieces of fabric, wrinkled hands adeptly tying knots and weaving threads. They were making ikat , a handwoven textile from East Nusa Tenggara, which was showcased during the just concluded exhibition, “Aku, Ikat, Mereka dan Kami” (“Me, Ikat, Them and Us”), which ran from March 27 to April 3.

“I’ve arranged the exhibition as a journey for visitors to experience the unique cultural riches of East Nusa Tenggara,” Oscar said during the opening.

The 33-year-old Jakarta designer is well known for designs that celebrate traditional textiles, such as ikat, batik and songket .

His handmade collections, which integrate traditional with contemporary designs, have given him an edge in the niche market of culture-based fashion houses in Hong Kong, Japan, Britain and the United States.

At the three-story gallery in Kemang, South Jakarta, more than 100 ikat weavings were on display, showcasing textiles from the six main islands of East Nusa Tenggara — Timor, Rote, Flores, Savu, Alor and Sumba.

The first floor featured ikat textiles from the islands of Timor and Rote, distinguished by intricate geometrical patterns and dark colors, such as red, indigo and black, and produced from natural dyes derived from tropical herbs and spices found in the region.

The red dye, for example, is made from the leaves of the Mengkudu tree and the indigo dye from the leaves of the Nila tree. To absorb the colors, cotton and silk fibers are sometimes left to soak in the dye for days, creating the rich, dark hues.

The intricate motifs depict traditional local beliefs, as well as influences from foreign traders. The Uskenat tribe of North Biboki village on Timor Island, for example, describes the greatness of God by incorporating patterns of striking thunder in its ikat weavings. The elaborate geometrical patterns from Rote, on the other hand, mirror the Indian patola motif used in some sari designs.

“Women usually weave the ikat in their spare time,” said Victoria Nanggula, one of the weavers from Rote, who has been working with Oscar for five years. “When it’s finished, they usually keep it in their wardrobes for special occasions or they give it away to guests who come to their house.”

The gallery’s second floor showcased ikat from the islands of Flores, Savu and Alor. The brown, blue, black and white textiles featured motifs depicting daily activities and plant and animal life.

“Some of the floral patterns were copied from the embroidery books of the Dutch who occupied the island,” Oscar explained.

Ikat from Sumba occupied the gallery’s third floor. Here, the patterns were larger and rich in symbolism representing local traditions and values, like the andungu katalingu (three skulls) motif that symbolizes courage, heroism and triumph. The tiana (ark) pattern represents teamwork and unity in facing obstacles. Other motifs included the tau (human), representing protection from the ancestors, njara (horse) to signify the high social status of the wearer and the ruha (rooster), a symbol of power and masculinity.

“The patterns are very unique and elegant,” said Arti S Usman, secretary general of the Women’s Foundation, who visited the exhibition. “Who would have thought that people who live in remote villages in East Nusa Tenggara could produce such attractive fashion items?”

Oscar said that he wanted to present the fabrics in their original state before they were cut and sewn into clothes. “Without the cutting and stitches, guests can fully appreciate the beauty of ikat’s intricate motifs,” Oscar said.

During the weeklong exhibition, the gallery also hosted fashion shows to display Oscar’s recent collection of sarongs and modified traditional blouses made of silk and chiffon. “Hopefully, with this exhibition and the fashion shows, we can convince Jakarta’s urban society to include ikat as part of their daily wardrobe,” the designer said.

Oscar’s infatuation with ikat started in 2005 when he attended the Alor Festival in East Nusa Tenggara. He said he immediately fell in love with the region’s beautiful landscape and hardworking, cheerful people.

But among the province’s cultural riches, it was ikat that most captured his heart. “It was like finding a hidden treasure,” he said. “There were thousands of elaborate motifs, natural colors and weaving techniques that have never been explored before.”

Oscar at once recognized the skill and creativity of the ikat weavers and began collaborating with them, with the support of the Novanto Center, a nonprofit organization established by lawmaker Setya Novanto, who represents the province.

“We and Oscar share the same vision,” said Deisti A Novanto, Setya’s wife. “We want to introduce East Nusa Tenggara textiles to people outside the region by incorporating ikat into today’s fashion items, as well as to empower the weavers with proper trainings and education.”

The project, which now involves more than 250 weavers from around the region, has allowed women to improve their earnings.

“This community-based program can be a strong basis for their economy,” Oscar said.

Through the project, women have not only gained new textile-making skills and techniques, but also valuable management skills that have enabled them to work more productively and efficiently.

“We’ve learned a lot from Oscar,” said Desi, a weaver from the island of Alor.

“He divided the work groups into several divisions with different tasks; one division does the weaving, the other does the coloring and so on.”

The division of labor, she said, has allowed the weavers to finish a piece of ikat that in the past might have taken eight to 12 months, in one to three months.

Working with the designer has also introduced new lightweight cotton and silk threads for the weavers to replace their traditional stiff and inelastic materials. The project also has experimented with different trees, herbs and spices to generate vibrant colors.

Their latest discoveries include the bright and glossy purple color generated with a unique blend of secang wood and ashes. They have also concocted a formula, which includes turmeric and tamarind, to produce a bright yellow color.

“But I would never change the motifs,” Oscar said. “Each motif was originally created by skillful artisans in the past. In these ancient motifs lie the unique cultural heritage of East Nusa Tenggara.”

The end-products have been made into dresses, blouses, jackets and skirts under the Oscar Lawalata Culture label.

The collaboration became the beginning of Oscar’s “Weaving the Future” project, which earned him the prestigious International Young Fashion Entrepreneur award from the British Council in February 2009.

Today, hundreds of traditional weavers from South Sulawesi, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara and Cirebon in West Java are actively involved in the project.

“Fashion designers should help these traditional weavers by innovating and incorporating these traditional textiles into contemporary designs,” Oscar said. “In that way, we would be creating an industry that extends from the producers to the end-customers.”