The designs on this cloth are typical of batik produced in the coastal area of Indramayu in West Java. They are called iwak etong, after the fish and shrimps commonly caught in the waters of Indramayu and Cirebon. Batik makers in coastal and fishing communities often drew inspiration from their environment, creating designs based on sea creatures. Batik is a resist-dye technique used to pattern plain fabrics. Patterns and motifs are either hand drawn (tulis) or stamped (cap) with molten wax onto white cotton cloth to prevent colour dyes from being absorbed. This process is repeated for each colour.
