Jul Indra
IPMI International Business School
Amelia Naim Indrajaya
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Taqqia Craft uses leftover fabric from the garment industry, remaking it into beautiful and useful items such as hand bags, pillow cases, wallets, and other products. By repurposing the fabric leftovers, Taqqia Craft also prevents environmental damage that could have been caused had the fabric been discarded rather than reused. Another important way that Taqqia Craft reflects the environmental and societal values of its Founder--Mrs. Endah Sutjihati--is through its programs to teach prisoners, street sweepers and other low income workers the sewing skills needed to repurpose leftover fabric, thereby giving them skills and financial support for a better life while also helping to grow the company business.
Mrs. Endah started her journey in patchwork craft when she taught the parents at her son’s school how to personalize school jerseys with quilted patchwork as a way of raising money to help pay for a school trip. “We started the business, in the beginning, to help adding the class’ cash,” she said, “so it won’t burden other parents’ for their kids’ activity at school.”
Mrs. Endah had a friend in the garment industry who couldn’t afford the expense of disposing of her leftover waste material. “So I asked her to give them to me and she doesn’t have to pay me,” Mrs Endah explained. She also realized that by helping her friend, she was also helping to reduce the environmental pollution caused by the waste from the garment. However at that time, the garment wastes she was given were combined with the garbage, such as cigarette butts, papers, etc. Mrs. Endah had to separate the fabric from the rest of the garbage in order to be able to produce the patchwork into something more useful and valuable.
In 2008, her business, at that time was known as “Caremommies” and exhibited its environmentally-friendly products through the PPKI (Pameran Produk Kerajinan Indonesia.) A turning point in the business was when it received an order from Bu Ani Yudhoyono’s secretary to make a souvenir for the aqiqah event of Airlangga Satriadi Yudhoyono, one of the grandchildren of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Mrs. Endah then showed her products at many exhibitions, thereby introducing the products to many communities. It turned out that people love her designs.
“I would like to have a one-stop shopping for the customers, where they can find their needs with the patchworks art from clothes, school bags, home decors, like pillowcases, blankets, bed linen, sajadah, etc.” Basically, Mrs. Endah and Taqqia Craft tries to solve the customers’ need to decorate their home with artistic and sophisticated design. “Customers will be able to find my products once they wake up until they go to sleep”, she explained about the range of her product line.
Nowadays, the products of 'Taqqia Craft' are also on display in the Gallery Colonies Mall of Indonesia, SMEs Gallery building SME Tower Jakarta Indonesia Square and Grand Indonesia Shopping Mall, Jakarta. "In the SME Tower building product sales of 'Taqqia Craft' are also increasing from day to day," said Endah.
The desire to become entrepreneurs who were also committed to caring about the environment and caring for people started when Mrs. Endah and her partner Mrs Haneda began their small business in 2007. The initial goal was quite simple: to raise additional cash for their children’s school where Mrs. Endah was a member of a school committee."The idea was to made jerseys with their kids’ name on the jerseys by utilizing patchwork. I had a friend who worked in the garment business, so that I can get the garment waste for free,” recalls Mrs. Endah, happily.
Mrs. Endah’s Taqqia Craft shows that even simple things can make a profit if we do it with passion, especially when our passion also has a positive impact on the environment.
Recognizing her success started from nothing, Mrs. Endah wanted to pass on the tips to many people around her communities. She started by publishing books of Patchwork Art in 2009, Kreasi Trendy Sulam Perca and Sulam Perca Unik dan Cantik. Today, her books are already on the 10th edition. Both of her books intrigued many readers who asked Mrs. Endah to start a workshop.
She started teaching embroidery and patchwork in her backyard. Initially, her students were mostly the mothers who lived around her residence. Over time she was asked to teach at various places, until one day she was asked to spread her knowledge by teaching the inmates in Salemba and Cipinang Penitentiaries. With her teaching, she was able to help the inmates have a better life. And now, the works of inmates from Cipinang Penitentiary are marketed with the label of "Elpina".
"Embroidery course members are all men. But it turns out they have a very delicate embroidery, and some even very nice. Currently in Cipinang they are already independent, they were left on their own. In Salemba as well," said Endah. “It gives hope that people here will have better things to do with small amount of capital and while working on patchwork in the prison. When their period as prisoner ends, they could independently have a better income in the future,”she added.
Mrs. Endah also teaches courses at the University of Indonesia for the street sweepers and scavengers surrounding the college. She mentions that, “there is a woman, Ibu Fitri, who has already become quite successful with her product, made with patchworks, and now that woman already lives a better life and can afford to live in a rented house.”
Mrs. Endah proves that her business can increase even as she gives her tips to the people. She believes that “Knowledge has to be shared with people.” Competition is a common thing in business; what she did was to keep on innovating and looking for new unique ways in order to remain prominent in the market.
Her business is caring about both the environment and about helping people improve their lives, leading to being awarded by Femina Magazine as “The Most Prominent Social Entrepreneurs” in 2010-2011. The business has also been covered by the media including DAAI TV, onenews.id, indonesiaproud.wordpress.com, and others. Recognized by Pertamina CSR and Pertamina Geothermal CSR, she has been was asked to support Pertamina CSR by teaching the communities near Pertamina’s drilling area in Aceh Tamiang and Garut (for Pertamina Geothermal). In 2012, her business was also invited to the Astra Foundation.
And now, in addition to teaching embroidery skill to inmates at the Cipinang and Salemba Penitentiaries, she also teaches the woman prisoners in Paledang Penitentiary in Bogor.
While business profitability reached stability after a couple of years, the ultimate benefit goes into the social and environment benefits associated with her business by reducing both the poverty of people and the amount and impact of garment wastes on the environment.
In 2017, Mrs. Endah was also invited to collaborate with the famous designer, Samuel Wattimena, for Indonesian Fashion Week, on releasing a new product for teenagers called Taqqia MIB.
Patchwork is a leftover fabric from the sewing process. At first glance this leftover appears to have no benefit; in fact this waste can be made into something useful. This patchwork can be used to create handicraft items such as bags, pillowcases, and other products.
The garment waste if not treated properly can give impact negatively on the natural environment around us. This is because textile waste has the following characteristics:
1. Difficult to biodegrade with the natural environment
2. Can damage the organisms in the soil within a certain period
3. When the waste material is burned, the smoke can contaminate the air
4. Can promote the development of disease promoting germs
5. Can clog waterways that could ultimately lead to flooding
6. Require large areas as a place for waste disposal
Through Taqqia Craft’s business process, potential garment wastes have been transformed into materials for clothing, home décor, and other products.
Even though Mrs. Endah has shared her tips and skill with many people and communities, she never saw them as competitors. She feels that sharing her knowledge through embroidery cannot be measured by material things. Happiness through sharing, became a source of energy for her to keep moving forward, even if only a little bit compared to the previous day. This is especially true when her sharing becomes useful to the person who is learning and doing the patchwork business.
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