PUTU, demikian perempuan kelahi- ran Singaraja, 5 Agustus 1957 ini biasa disapa, tidak mempunyai darah pemba- tik. Tapi keinginannya mendalami seni, terutama lukis, sangat kuat. Saat masih SMP dia pernah belajar pada I Wayan Pengsong, pelukis asal Bali yang menga- nut gaya impresionis dekoratif.
Kertertarikan Putu pada batik berawal dari seringnya melihat-lihat koleksi batik sang ibu. Dari kesengsem, lama-lama timbul rasa penasaran. “Kok orang desa bisa bikin karya seindah ini? Gimana ya caranya, masa kita orang kota tidak bisa,” tanyanya dalam hati. Putu lantas belajar ke Balai Besar Penelitian Batik Jogjakarta selama dua minggu. Tak cukup sampai di situ, dia sempat magang ke pusat batik tulis Sari Kenongo, Sidoarjo.
Guru seni di SMKN 12 Surabaya juga digaetnya untuk memberikan les privat membatik. Merasa kemampuannya cukup, tahun 2004 dia mengawali usaha batiknya. “Sebelumnya saya pernah bekerja di sebuah perusahaan kosme- tik. Jadi apoteker juga pernah,” beber lulusan Fakultas Farmasi Universitas Airlangga Surabaya ini.
Modal awalnya cuma Rp 500 ribu, cukup untuk membeli kain dan pewarna. Dibantu dua karyawan, Putu mulai mengembangkan rumah batiknya yang beralamat di Jl Jemursari Utara II/19 Sura- baya. “Saya pilih nama Dewi Saraswati
karena senang dengan ilosoinya,” sebut
Putu, merujuk dewi ilmu pengetahuan dan seni dalam agama Hindu itu.
Di samping itu, “Kebetulan saya lulu- san SMA Saraswati Denpasar,” lanjutnya.
PUTU, her common name, has no batik artist ancestor. Born in Singaraja, August 5, 1957, she has great desire to explore art, especially painting. In junior high school era, she studied painting to Wayan Pengsong a famous Balinese painter with decorative impressionist style.
Her interest to batik was originated from her mother’s batik collection. She began to be curious. “How can a villager make beautiful work like this? Why townsfolk can’t make it?” she won- dered. Then, Putu studied at Jogjakarta Batik Research Center for two weeks. Not enough there, she got an intern- ship at Sari Kenongo batik center in Sidoarjo city.
She also took an art teacher at SMK 12 Surabaya to give her private lessons. Then, in 2004, she started her own batik business. “Previously, I worked at a cosmetics company. Ia was also a phar- macist,” said Putu, who has a bachelor’s degree of pharmacy from Airlangga University. “Then, I commit my business to batik.”
Her initial capital was only Rp 500,000, just enough to buy fabrics and dyes. As- sisted by two employees, Putu began to develop her batik house at Jl Jemursari Utara II/19, Surabaya. “I named for my batik house Dewi Saraswati,” said Putu, referred to the goddess of science and art in the Hindu. “I was also a graduate of Saraswati high school in Denpasar.”
The irst motif from Dewi Saraswati ba- tik gallery was bird. Then, the next motifs
Motif pertama yang lahir dari galeri batik Dewi Saraswati adalah burung. Berikutnya motif yang jadi ikon Kota Surabaya, yaitu suro, boyo dan semanggi. Namun niat baik Putu mengembangkan motif khas Surabaya kurang mendapat respons.
Karena itu, tahun 2008 dia mulai beralih ke motif Jawa Timuran secara umum. Munculah kemudian motif ayam bekisar, teratai, kupu-kupu, burung dan lainnya. “Sambutan pasar mulai bagus, dan itu makin menyemangati saya untuk menemukan motif-motif lainnya,” ujar ibu dua anak ini. Kini Putu tidak bisa menghitung berapa motif batik yang sudah dia ciptakan. Kisarannya mencapai ratusan, dan terus bertambah setiap hari.
Lebih satu dasawarsa membangun usaha batik, Putu sekarang bisa tersenyum lebar. Produk galerinya berupa kain panjang, sarimbit, se- lendang, hingga aneka busaha untuk perempuan, selalu ditunggu kon- sumen. Termurah, dia menjual kain batik ukuran 2,5 meter seharga Rp 400 ribu. “Yang termahal bisa sampai Rp 600 ribu ke atas,” sebutnya.
were Surabaya icons, namely; suro, boyo and clover. However, her intentions to develop a typical pattern of Surabaya only got less positive response.
Therefore, in 2008, she turned to East Javanese motif in gen- eral. So, she created many motifs such as bekisar, lotus, butterlies, birds and others. “I got better response from the market, and it further encouraged me to discover other motifs,” said Putu. Putu, the mother of two kids, can’t count how many motif she has cre- ated. It could be hundreds, and are still growing every day.
Now, after a decade in batik business, Putu can smile broadly. Her product, such as long cloth, sarimbit, shawl, and various cloth- ing for women, are always awaited by her consumer. The cheapest is 2.5 meter of batik fabrics for Rp 400,000. “The more expensive can be up to Rp 600.000,” she said.
Sedangkan baju batik bisa me- nembus Rp 2 juta per potong. Me- nurut Putu, besaran harga produknya tergantung bahan, komposisi warna, dan kerumitan motif. Mengandalkan sistem pemasaran getok tular, omzet penjualan Batik Saraswati mencapai Rp 150 juta per bulan. Konsumennya kebanyakan dari instansi pemerin- tah, baik Pemkot Surabaya maupun Pemprov Jatim, kalangan perbankan, petinggi militer, serta wisatawan dari Jakarta.
Putu terbilang getol mengikuti pameran karena sangat efektif untuk menggaet konsumen kalangan menengah ke atas. Hampir seluruh kota besar di Indonesia pernah dia singgahi. “Kalau di luar negeri saya pernah pameran di Italia, Australia, Jerman dan Swiss. Semua difasilitasi Pemprov Jatim,” ungkap perempuan berparas ayu ini.
Meski permintaan dari luar negeri ada, tapi Putu tidak berani terburu- buru memenuhinya. Dia khawatir bila standarnya tidak memenuhi baju- baju buatannya bakal dikembalikan. Putu tak memungkiri, kisah sukses usahanya tak lepas dari sokongan Se- men Indonesia lewat Program Kemi- traan dan Bina Lingkungan (PKBL).
Menjadi mitra binaan Semen Indonesia sejak 2009, tiga kali sudah Putu mendapat bantuan pinjaman modal. Pertama Rp 20 juta, lalu 50 juta, dan terakhir Rp 50 juta. “Diajak pameran sudah sering, antara lain di Surabaya dan Jakarta,” ujarnya. Putu sadar persaingan di bisnis batik
For batik clothes, the price tag is Rp 2 million per piece. According to Putu, the price of her products is de- pending on the materials, the color composition, and the complexity of motif. Relying on mouth-to-mouth marketing system, Batik Saraswati’s turnover can reach Rp 150 million per month. Consumers are mostly from government agencies, munici- pal government of Surabaya and East Java provincial government, banks, military oficials, as well as tourists from Jakarta.
Putu likes to participate in exhibi- tion. It is very effective way to attract the upper middle class consumers. She visited almost all major cities in Indonesia for exhibition. “Abroad, I had exhibition in Italy, Australia, Germany and Switzerland. All were facilitated by East Java provincial government,” said Putu.
There are many demands from abroad. However, Putu does not dare to rush. Putu does not deny her success story could not be sepa- rated from the Semen Indonesia support through the Program Kemi- traan dan Bina Lingkungan (PKBL) or partnership program and community development.
As Semen Indonesia’s partner since 2009, Putu got capital loan as- sistance three times. The irst was Rp 20 million, then Rp 50 million, and the third was Rp 50 million. “I was frequently invited for exhibitions, such as in Surabaya and Jakarta,” she said. Putu is fully aware that