Virus of Tangsel T-shirts

KOMPAS/BUDI SUWARNA

Purwo Sasmito

Through Republik Sablon, Purwo Sasmito empowers many young people in South Tangerang and its surroundings. The man, better known as Ipung, shared knowledge and technical skills on screen printing as well as how spreading "ideology" on T-shirts could help movements.

Republik Sablon\'s workshop is hidden behind a row of shops on Jalan Cireundeu Raya, South Tangerang, Banten. The workshop in the form of a simple house has only one access, namely a narrow alley of 1 meter in width and about 10 meters in length. Its rather dark and humid because sunlight does not freely enter.

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In front of the workshop there is a narrow veranda decorated with eye-catching banners. The banners read "Republik Sablon" and "Speak Up!" This veranda gives off a greater sense of movement than the T-shirt business. Behind the veranda there are three large rooms. One of them contains screen printing tools and samples of T-shirt products that are lined up on the wall.

Ipung usually receives guests, holds discussions or shares his knowledge about screen printing and T-shirt culture on the veranda. He said young people come to Republik Sablon to learn about screen printing or to do apprenticeships. They consist of pupils, college students, buskers, street children, punk kids, and pesantren (Islamic boarding school) children.

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"I taught them from screen printing technical matters, calculating basic prices, business management, to managing the finance. The hope is that when they get out of here, they can get know-how to start their own business,” said Ipung when met on Monday (28/9/2020).

Ipung did not remember how many young people have studied with him in the past 5-6 years. What is clear, among them there are three students and a busker who now have their own business. Moreover, there are several screen printing business workers who are finally able to build their own businesses independently. "I am happy if someone can do it self-sufficiently. We don\'t need to compete, but collaborate,” said Ipung.

KOMPAS/BUDI SUWARNA

Purwo Sasmito

Ipung gives his knowledge for free like when he got it in the past. "I learned screen printing for free. So, I feel I have to share that knowledge for free too,” he said.

He learned screen printing techniques from Pay, who opened a screen printing business around the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Jakarta Campus in Ciputat, South Tangerang. "He painstakingly taught me and other young people without worrying that (we) would become competitors in the future," said Ipung.

I learned screen printing for free. So, I feel I have to share that knowledge for free too

Medium

Ipung studied at UIN Jakarta in 2001. During his time at the university, he was active in mass academic organizations and the Altar Theater. Through the mass organizations and theater, he had a medium to express himself. Later, he found other expression mediums, namely T-shirts and screen printing. He fell in love with the world of T-shirts and screen printing.

In 2012, he started studying screen printing and T-shirts from Pay. A year later, he started his own business with the name Republik Sablon. Inspired by Pay, he shared his knowledge of screen printing with others. It does not stop at technical matters, he also encourages an understanding that screen printing is a movement.

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Screen printing becomes a medium for the creative economy movement, while its products are a medium for expressing opinions. "Many ‘screen printing children’ now think up to that point. They don\'t want to be just screen printing workers, but part of the movement,” said Ipung, who said he had learned a lot from the screen printing community movement in East Java.

From the business side, Ipung is trying to realize some of his movement ideas by forming a Tangsel Koloni community whose members consist of owners and workers in screen printing and confection businesses in 2017. Currently there are 15 businesses that have joined the Koloni, each employing 3-4 people.

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KOMPAS/BUDI SUWARNA

Purwo Sasmito

Koloni becomes a place for screen printing business owners and their workers to discuss efforts to improve product quality standards, the possibility of collaboration, the welfare of screen printing workers, and problems faced by screen printing entrepreneurs.

For external purposes, Koloni has formed a screen printing laboratory where various events are held, such as screen printing training, including a number of communities, campuses, and youth organizations in disaster areas.

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With regard to products, they see that T-shirts and screen printing designs are not just clothes, but symbols of freedom from efforts to homogenize thoughts. They also see T-shirts as a medium for self-expression, recording life moments, criticizing, affirming identity, and so on. However, all of this must be done ethically.

Ipung said that he always correct the clients’ T-shirt designs for printing. "If they contain hate speech, make fun of other groups, or are racist, I will turn them down. Even, if there is a Milanisti (AC Milan supporter), for example, making shirts that makes fund to other clubs or vice versa, I also don\'t want to do it, despite the risk of losing clients,” he said firmly.

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For the past six years, Ipung has been busy educating South Tangerang youth about T-shirt culture. Serving those who want to express themselves with their own designs. Only recently does Ipung come up with his own design to express his views on the chaotic political and legal practices in Indonesia.

One of the designs he prints on the T-shirts has a sarcastic tone regarding the handling of the Novel Baswedan case. The design is in the form of Novel’s face with the foreground of the words "Shocked, Crushed, Scattered, Planned".

Ipung is aware that treating Republik Sablon is not just a business, but a medium to expand the culture of T-shirts among young people. "Even though by doing this I won\'t get rich quick, at least my business will be beneficial to other people," he said.

Purwo Sasmito alias Ipung

Born: Jakarta, 24 November 1982

Spouse: Desi Komalasari

Education:

- Department of English Language and Literature, School of Adab and Humanities, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta (Class 2001)

- SMA Dharma Karya senior high school-UT (1998-2001)

- SMP Negeri 2 Pamulang junior high school (1995-1998)

- SDN Bambu Apus 2 elementary school(1989-1995)

IG: @ republik_sablon

Website: republiksablon.com

Email: [e-mail]