Kemben

Kemben(Javanese:ꦏꦼꦩ꧀ꦧꦼꦤ꧀,Indonesian:kemban) is anIndonesianfemale torso wrap historically common inJava,Bali,and other parts of the Indonesian archipelago. It is made by wrapping a piece ofkain(clothes), either plain,batikprinted,velvet,or any type of fabrics, covering the chest wrapped around the woman's torso.

Kemben

Javanesewoman in traditionalbatikkemben,c. 1900.
Type	Traditional female torso wrap
Place of origin	Indonesia

History

A Javanese woman wearingkembendepicted on the 14th-centuryMajapahittemple reliefs at the Candi Rimbi,Jombang,East Java,Indonesia.

The gracefulBidadari Majapahit,the 14th-century golden celestialapsarain Majapahit style, wearing kemben.

Prior to the prevalence ofkebaya,it is believed thatkembenwas the most popular and common female dress in the ancient and classical period of Java. It was commonly worn in theMajapahitera until theMataram Sultanate.Today, this shoulder-baring garment still features in manyIndonesian rituals,traditionalJavanese dancesor palace ceremonies in Javanesekeratons.

The bare shoulders of thekembenmay be regarded as a representation of aesthetics, elegance, andfemininity.In recent decades, however,kembenhas fallen out of favor among Javanese Muslim women as they abandoned their traditional fashion and wear Islamic clothing such as thehijab,which was previously uncommon in Indonesia. Today, the tradition of wearing kemben were preserved and kept alive in the Javanese royal court ofYogyakartaandSurakartakeratons, especially among nobles andabdi dalem(palace servants). However, in recent years, this also had stirred debate about the efforts to preserve classic Javanese court culture being contended by the growing conservativeIslamismamong the Indonesian Muslims community.

Uses

Three Javanese women inkembenmakingbatikclothes in a village in Java, Indonesia. 1800s.

ASrimpidancer wearing velvetkemben.

Traditionalkembenis worn by wrapping a piece of cloth around the torso, folding and securing the edge, tying it with additional rope, and covering it with anangkin,a smaller sash around the abdomen. Traditional Javanese batikkembenworn by palace ladies in keratons are mostly this type ofkemben.Today, there is also tight-fitted and tailoredkembensecured usingbuttons,straps orzipperssimilar to the westerncorset.Thekembenof female Javanese traditional dancers (srimpiorwayang wong) are usually made of tailored velvet corsets.

Kemben outside Indonesia

In theMalay Peninsula,kembanis essentially a type ofsarongand was a very popular style of clothing prior to the prevalence ofBaju KurungandBaju Kebayain Malaysia. The members of the nobility used better quality and designed cloths, as well as elaborate jewelry made of gold and precious stones.They had theirkain kelubung(shawl) to cover their heads from the sun and akain kembanworn from the bust downwards to keep them cool in the tropical heat. According to theMalay Annals,Sultan Mansur Shah, the sixth Malaccan ruler, banned Malay women from wearing only akembanas it ran contrary to personal modesty based on Islamic teachings.Today, the kemban torso wrap is rarely worn in the piously Islamic Malay community of Malaysia, regarded as a relic of the past, replaced by the more modest Baju Kurung which is generally worn withtudongto comply with Islamic modesty requirements.

InEurope,it is akin to Europeandécolletage,however, it is more indigenous by using local fabrics such asbatik,ikat,songket,ortenun,and simply secured by folding and slipping the cloth edges and tying the knot. Traditionally, women wear two pieces of clothes; the lower one is wrapped around the hips covering lower parts of the body (hips, thighs, and legs) and is called askainorSarong,while the piece that is wrapped about the upper body (chest and torso) is calledkemben.In the Malay Peninsula, a third piece of cloth is used to cover the head (head, shoulders, and arms) from the sun and it is calledkain kelubungas shown in the pictures below.

Styles of traditionalkembanin the Malay Peninsula

Akain lepaswith a broad sash (kain kemban) dressed over aTerengganuanstyle of floweredsarongwithkain kelubung.

Akain lepaswithKelantanesestyle of check pattern (kain kemban) dressed over a floweredsarongwithkain kelubung.

Akain lepasgirt about the breast (kain kemban) over aKelantanesestylesarongwithkain kelubung.

Akain lepasdraped about the breast (kain kemban) over a floweredsarongwith decorative flowers in hair.

See also

• National costume of Indonesia
• Culture of Indonesia
• Javanese culture
• Malay culture
• Kebaya
• Malaysian cultural outfits