Iwan Tirta

Iwan Tirta (18 April 1935 – 31 July 2010) was an Indonesian batik fashion designer. Tirta trained as a lawyer, but became an internationally known designer. He also became an Indonesian and Javanese cultural advocate, as well as a food consultant, later in his career.

Biography

Early life Iwan Tirta was born Nusjirwan Tirtaamidjaja on 18 April 1935, in Blora, Central Java. His mother was West Sumatran. Instead of utilizing his law degree as a profession, he started his career as a designer using traditional, hand-made batik cloth.

He was widely credited with the promotion of batik designs within the international fashion industry, including its magazines and fashion shows.

Tirta established PT Iwan Tirta (with trademark name of Iwan Tirta (IT) Private Collection/ ITPC) in 2003. ITPC established its first gallery in 2006. ITPC opened its first mall location in 2008 and expanded further. Now it has 10 galleries already in prominent malls and locations in Jakarta & Surabaya (Galeria Grand Hyatt - Plaza Indonesia, Plaza Senayan, Senayan City, Pacific Place, Pondok Indah Mall 2, Jl Wijaya XIII, Shangrila Hotel Jakarta, Borobudur Hotel, Central - Grand Indonesia and SOGO Tunjungan Plaza IV - Surabaya).

As recently as 2007, Tirta partnered with Lydia Kusuma Hendra, the chairwoman of the PT Tri Marga Jaya Hutama ceramics company, to relaunch PT Pusaka Iwan Tirta, a line of batik-inspired ceramic dinnerware. The ceramics line was called Pusaka Maha Karya ("Heritage Masterpieces"), divided into two collections, Modang and Hokokai. His Hokotai collection was inspired by Hokokai batik, a form of batik which was created in the early 1940s during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies by painters in Pekalongan, Central Java, who themselves were inspired by kimono. The Modang collection was based on the batik traditionally worn by royal families in Yogyakarta.

In a 2009 interview with Time Magazine, Tirta listed some of his diverse influences, which included Pakubuwono X and other Javanese royalty, novelist Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesian painters Raden Saleh and Srihadi, Yves Saint Laurent, Halston, Ludwig van Beethoven Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Death Iwan Tirta died on 31 July 2010 at Abdi Waluyo Hospital in Menteng, Central Jakarta, at the age of 75. He had suffered from diabetes and several strokes in the preceding years He was buried at Karet Bivak cemetery in Jakarta near his mother's tomb.

After three years of the maestro's departure, his name lives on.

Commemorating 1,000 days of his departure this year (2013), several events and milestones was highlighted among others: - Mobiliari group (Tatler Indonesia) has awarded a tribute to Iwan Tirta via Iwan Tirta Private Collection, on his role to promote Indonesian Batik as one of the luxury brands from Indonesia. March 2013, Darmawangsa Hotel

http://kennedyvoice-berliner.com/home/2013/03/19/mobiliariluxuryindustryconference/

https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233035/http://mobiliarigroup.com/events/indonesia-international-luxury-fair-2013/

- Tribute to Iwan Tirta by Berita Satu Media Holding and Gelar Nusantara. "Knights of the Golden Empress". Darmawangsa Hotel, July4th, 2013.

The management of PT Iwan Tirta has also paid tribute to the late maestro, visiting his tomb on last 8 July 2013.