An Indonesian Economist Links Rural Artisans and Urban Consumers with @sukkhacitta
To see more of SukkhaCitta’s batik textiles, follow @sukkhacitta on Instagram.
After spending years studying Indonesian rural villages and analyzing their market systems, Denica Flesch was restless. “I didn’t feel like I was making an impact — a real, direct impact,” says Denica, who lives in Jakarta. She found her calling when she stumbled into the world of looms and craftsmanship. “As an economist, we are trained to see production as a scale issue. Handmade seemed … well, inefficient,” she says. “Yet there I was, learning about my own roots through stories and values that have been passed down through generations. It dawned on me that development is not merely an increase in GDP or productivity, but culture plays a large role in it.”
In 2016, Denica founded SukkhaCitta (@sukkhacitta), a contemporary online batik store that links artisans with urban consumers. “The current system makes it very difficult for rural artisans to make a living out of their skills,” she says. “With no bargaining power or access to market, they become the most marginalized part of the industry.” Denica says using a #MadeRight guarantee gives consumers the bold wraps, scarves and kimonos their looking for while artisans can begin moving out of the confines of poverty, promote environmental sustainability and sustain culture.
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