WOMEN AND ACCESSORIES:
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AND CRAFT INDUSTRY
I Ketut Sida Arsa

Study Program of Artistic Skill

Faculty of Arts and Design

Indonesia Institute of the Arts Denpasar

email: rugos28kt@gmail.com
ABSTRACT

This study is intended to describe the current life style of women which contributes to the development of craft industry, especially the industry of accessories in Bali. In this case, women are used as the subject made use of by the capitalist, that is, the producer of accessories used as the object. The data on the relationship between the craft industrial element, especially the industry of accessories, with the life style of women were obtained using observation and in-depth interview techniques.  The theory of consumerism developed by Jean Baudrillard was used to analyze the field data. 

The result of the study showed that the stylish performance had caused women to be consumptive. In this case, women had been the most potential target of the market share; therefore, the capitalist perpetually developed new mode or trend. In this way, women were made to follow the newest trend, meaning that their desire had been inspired by various trends which had been developed by the accessory business persons from time to time. Such a phenomenon could be clearly seen when the discourse of “Ajeg Bali” was made to be popular, and when the civil servants, private employees and students were obliged to wear the Balinese traditional dress. Accessories were attached to the woman’s blouse to make it more interesting. It seemed that dress and accessories could not be separated from one another to make performance more perfect. Such a phenomenon contributed to the garment industry and craft industry in order to meet what is desired by the Balinese women. 
Keywords: women, accessories, business, craft industry

INTRODUCTION 


Nowadays women and accessories cannot be separated from one another. The reason is that women have to have and wear them in their daily activities and on special days. Every woman wants to look beautiful and interesting before men. Every man in the world likes a woman who is slim, white, beautiful and pure. Therefore, it is not wrong for Atmaja (2010: 245) to say that in the Balinese community a woman is frequently treated as the object of the man’s libido. This has made women use their bodies optimally not only to give rise to the men’s libido but also to make themselves praised. Every woman wants to be praised. 

As creatures with desires, women are frequently unsatisfied with one thing which makes them to be praised, causing them to add accessories such as necklace, earrings, brooches, necklaces and rings to make their performance perfect. This is supported by what is stated by Widana (2011: 163—164) that accessories are absolutely needed when women are dressed up. Furthermore, he stated that the prices of the accessories worn by women to complete their traditional dress when they go to temple average Rp.2, 950, 000. According to those who belong to the higher level, such an amount of money is cheap whereas according to those who belong to the middle and lower classes, such an amount of money is expensive. However, as the creatures with desires, wherever they live and whatever classes they belong to, they feel obliged to fulfill their tertiary need  to make their performance praised. 

The high demand of women, especially in Bali, for accessories to support their life style has made the industry of accessories prosper and grow rapidly. In this context, what is stated by Marx concerning production, and what is stated by Baudrilard concerning consumption support the phenomenon that accessories are produced in Bali  in order to support the postmodern life style. In this case, there is a clear relationship between the accessories produced by the capitalistic strength and the people’s consumption style which always makes a product meaningful. What is stated by Suyanto (2013: 110) concerning the capitalistic strategy can be referred to when understanding the strategy applied by the producer of accessories that capitalism has created the controlled consumption system and has exploited the massive consumption behavior. In this way, capitalism will always create new designs from time to time, causing consumers perpetually inspired to consume the newest product. 

The relationship of the women’s life style with the rapid development of the industry of accessories is highly interesting to explore. The reason is that the postmodern life style has become into existence in Bali. Women have made Bali the arena of the production, distribution and consumption of various forms and types of accessories. This present study was conducted to explore the relationship between the women’s life style and the development of accessories in Bali. 

RESEARCH METHOD 


This present study describes the women’s life style which has positively contributed to the growth and development of the industry of accessories in Bali. The data were collected using observation and in-depth interview techniques. The result of analysis is presented in a descriptive and narrative fashion. 
DISCUSSION 


Women are unique and interesting individuals. As far as life style is concerned, it seems that they are free to follow their desires to make their performance the best in society. As stated by Janice Whinship in Ibrahim (2011: 267) that “women do not view themselves as men view them but they are motivated to enjoy their sexuality through the men’s eyes”. In her article entitled Sexuality for Sale, she deconstructs the ideological relation between gender and capitalism reflected by the woman’s image in the advertisement of the magazines published for women. This also reflects the phenomenon of the Balinese women who always make their performances perfect using sensual dress to which various types of accessories are added. Actually, this prospers the patriarchal and capitalistic ideologies. 

Daniel Bell, Jean Baudrillard, and David Harvey, according to Adian (2005: 65—78), view postmodernism as a condition in which consumers do not only work to fulfill what they need to support their lives but also to fulfill what is needed to support their life style which then leads to the libidinal economy. In this context, the cultural industry always contributes to the consumptive culture, that is, a culture which accommodates the community’s interests, desires and needs. This can be seen from various scopes of contemporary culture, especially the artistic articles which inspire people to do consumptive activities (Wijiyanto, 2012: 56). 


According to Widana (2011: 162), accessories are the important elements which can make someone’s performance more perfect. In addition, accessories also show someone’s social status in society. In this case, the type and form of an accessory can show a class identity and life style. According to Bhasin (1996: v), there are three obligations of women; they are Masak (cooking), Macak (dressing up), and Manak (giving birth to babies). Based on what is stated above, dressing up (macak) is an obligation of women, regardless of the class they belong to; in other words, those who belong to the higher, middle and lower classes are obliged to dress up. It is true that women are always required to perform beautifully in any space and time. It is not surprising, therefore, that women need more than men for their appareance. In this case, women should be able to pay attention to their performances in detail so that men will get interested in them.

They should be good at deciding what clothes and accessories to wear in order to be fashionable. To this end, the women who would like to appear before the public should perpetually consuming various products of fashion which always change from time to time. This is in line with what is stated by Bourdieu in Soedjatmiko (2008: 25) that consumption includes signs, symbols, ideas, and values and is used to separate one social group from another social group. Bourdieu does not see that the consumer consumptive habit is not only the product of social structures but it is an interaction between individuals and society. Making up is necessarily done by the current women. This requires them to allocate a certain amount of money to spend on the things needed to meet their desires. They desire to have various products of fashion in order to have beautiful and interesting performance. 

Nyoman Wijaya, in his article entitled “Melawan Ajeg Bali: Antara Ekslusivitas dan Komersialisasi” [Opposing the Conservation of Bali: Between Exclusivity and Commercialization], affirms that Ajeg Bali is defined in three levels. First, in the individual level, Ajeg Bali is defined as the ability of the Balinese people to trust themselves culturally. Second, in the environmental level, Ajeg Bali is defined as a space which is created for the inclusive, multicultural and selective Balinese culture. Foreign cultural elements are selected in such a way that they will not change the Balinese culture. Third, in the level of cultural process, Ajeg Bali is defined as an interaction between the Balinese people and the space where the Balinese culture become into existence in order to produce new products or signs through a process which is based on the cultural values and local wisdom, and has in depth awareness of space and time (Atmadja, 2010: ix-x). As a discourse, Ajeg Bali has prospered and developed since 2002. The discourse of Ajeg Bali cannot be separated from the role played by the Bali Post in 2002, which was led by Satria Naradha, campaigned the discourse which an objective that the Balinese culture would always be well conserved (Nordhot, 2010: 68). Such a campaign was warmly welcome by Governor I Dewa Made Beratha who proposed that all the Balinese people conserve the Balinese culture and tradition. 


As a positive response given by the Bali Governor, finally, various activities were done to support such an Ajeg Bali movement.  The Bali TV, the main electronic media, promoted the Balinese culture every time to maximize the movement; the authentic Balinese culture was presented, dharma wacana (the speeches on the Hindu teachings) and Balinese culture were presented more frequently, and the local civil servants, students and teachers were obliged to wear the Balinese traditional dress  (Nordholt, 2010: 70-74). Until now every full moon and dark of moon the local civil servants have been obliged to wear the Balinese traditional dress. The Balinese traditional dress which is obliged to be worn by the local civil servants every full moon and dark of moon has finally contributed to an opportunity for designers  and those who sell ‘kebaya’ (the woman’s blouse the front of which is pinned together). Then the development of the Balinese traditional dress has become a life style as well. Now various forms and types of fabric are periodically produced to fulfill what is needed by the life style of the people especially women who always want to appear beautiful, fashionable and trendy.


The obligation of wearing the Balinese traditional dress at work places on particular days is responsible for the search made by women for new models of kabaya and unique accessories. Not only the consumer community which searches for the fashionable products, but also the garment manufacturers, designers, and boutiques. They compete to produce fashionable products which can be accepted by people, especially the Hindu women. Shopping has shown someone’s established economy, the well-known shops of fashionable clothes will make use of the epidemic of consumerism attacking every individual in Bali. Those who contract the epidemic of consumerism will buy the products which are not possibly useful to them (Soedjatmiko, 2008: 9). Buying something at a popular shop will indicate that he/she has a high social status, coming from the established higher class. 


The high demand for accessories resulting from the life style of the people who consider accessories complements of every performance has caused the industry of accessories in Bali to develop rapidly. The producers have produced accessories using the casting machine in order to be able to meet the high demand of accessories, meaning that they do not only produce the hand-made ones. However, the consequence of the use of the casting machines, apart from supporting the development of the craft industry in Bali, is that they have marginalized the local people especially those who live at Celuk Village. This is in accordance with what is stated by Marx that marginalization is a condition which is very difficult to be avoided in the capitalistic society. In this condition, machines have been able to control man (Kuntowijoyo, 226: 110). It is frightening that the industry which is developed in an area cannot benefit its people. 


The producers of accessories have made various types of innovations, one of which is replacing the workforce with more efficient machines to maintain their consumers. In addition, the designs of accessories should be periodically developed. This is in line with what is stated by Kisfaludy (2008: 59) that “the design in continuously gaining importance in the development of the products so as to meet their various requirements, to produce high quality goods thus keeping and increasing our share in the market”. What is stated by Kisfaludy through his dissertation can be globally accepted. The reason is that designs are very important when producing the quality products which can meet the market desire from time to time. Such products always locally and globally change, following from the people’s life style. Such a condition always becomes into existence in the cultural industry. According to Mazhab Frankurt, the cultural industry forms what people desire to have which can contribute to their awareness and direct their desire for false needs (Suyanto, 2013: 114). As a result, the designs which are produced by the producers of accessories are intended to direct women to a pseudo-awareness which causes them to be trapped in consumerism. 
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

Every woman is obliged to add accessories to what they wear when they go to work. They make the blouses they wear more perfect when they join any religious rituals. Accessories were getting important when the discourse Ajeg Bali was proposed. All the local civil servants were obliged to wear the Balinese traditional dress. A question needs to be raised “what is the objective of the discourse of Ajeg Bali which has been recently discussed a lot? In this present study, it was found that Ajeg Bali had caused the Balinese people to be more consumptive and hedonist. Therefore, its meaning is that every individual, family, institution, and the government should apply Ajeg Bali. The obligation of wearing the Balinese traditional dress has prospered capitalists, namely, the producers of fashion and accessories.
ACKNOLWEDGEMENT

In this opportunity, the writer would like to thank the Directorate General of Higher Education and Indonesia Institute of the Arts Denpasar for the funds and administrative assistance needed to complete this present study.
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