Kemben

What is Kemben?

Kemben is a piece of cloth worn over the chest, not a stitched blouse. It belongs to the clothing traditions of Java and Bali, where Javanese, Sundanese, Baduy, Osing, Bali Aga and Balinese communities have used it. The cloth itself is called kain. It may be batik, ikat, tenun or another textile. A kemben leaves the shoulders bare and is paired with a lower sarong that covers the hips and legs. Some are simple wraps; others are sewn to fit closely and fastened with buttons, straps or zippers. Palace women, dancers and women in the Javanese diaspora have worn different versions.

Where does Kemben come from?

Kemben is thought to have been the usual female dress in Java before the kebaya became common. Its use is placed from the Majapahit era through the Mataram Sultanate. In later decades, many Javanese Muslim women stopped wearing it and adopted Islamic dress, including the hijab. The old custom survives at the royal courts of Yogyakarta and Surakarta, where nobles and abdi dalem, or palace servants, keep it in ceremonies. That survival has also prompted discussion, because some see court traditions in tension with conservative Islamism. The sources describe the early prominence of kemben as a belief rather than a settled record.

How is Kemben made?

There is no single weave or dye method tied to kemben. The garment is shaped from a length of kain. In the traditional form, the cloth goes over the chest, its ends are tucked in, and a cord holds it. A narrow sash called an angkin is then placed over the abdomen. Batik, ikat and tenun cloths are among the textiles used. A tailored kemben is different: it is cut and sewn to fit the body and closed with buttons, straps or zippers, much like a corset. Dancers in srimpi and wayang wong may wear fitted velvet corsets instead of a wrapped cloth.

Colours, motifs and borders

Sources do not set out a fixed motif or colour scheme for kemben. The look depends on the kain chosen: batik, ikat, tenun and other cloths can all be used. The common shape is a band across the chest that leaves the shoulders open, with the lower body covered by a sarong. A small angkin sash sits at the waist. Tailored versions follow the body closely and may use fasteners. Dancers' velvet corsets give a more structured outline. The bare shoulder is treated in the sources as a sign of elegance and femininity.

How Kemben is worn

Traditionally two cloths are worn. One, the kain or sarong, is wrapped around the hips and covers the thighs and legs. The other, the kemben, covers the chest. The upper cloth is tucked and held with a cord, then an angkin is tied over the abdomen. The shoulders stay uncovered. In Europe the effect has been compared to a décolletage, though the sources stress that it is held by tucking and a knot rather than by tailoring. Today a sewn kemben can be put on with buttons, straps or a zip.

When Kemben is worn

Kemben still appears in Javanese and Balinese rituals, in palace ceremonies at the Yogyakarta and Surakarta keratons, and in traditional dance such as srimpi and wayang wong. In Suriname, Javanese families wear it for cultural events and for Java New Year, when Javanese dances are performed; older women may wear it in daily life. The sources also note that many Javanese Muslim women have left it behind. It is therefore both a court and ritual garment and a marker of diaspora custom.

Styles of Kemben

The wrapped batik kemben of palace ladies in the keratons is one form. Another is the tight, tailored kemben closed with buttons, straps or zippers. Female dancers may wear velvet corsets. Outside Indonesia, Javanese communities in Suriname keep the garment for cultural occasions, and Javanese people in Malaysia have their own kemben style, which the sources distinguish from Malay kemban. In Europe, the garment is sometimes compared to décolletage. The sources give no single regional map of patterns.

What Kemben means

Kemben carries ideas of elegance and femininity through its bare shoulders. Its survival at the Yogyakarta and Surakarta courts links it to royal Javanese identity and to the work of abdi dalem. At the same time, its decline among Javanese Muslim women and the debate over court traditions show how clothing can sit at the centre of religious and cultural change. In Suriname and Malaysia it marks Javanese diaspora life.

Questions people ask about Kemben

Good reading and sources

• Kemben on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data