Reviving the Prestige of Kotagede Silver

KOMPAS/NINO CITRA ANUGRAHANTO

Surya Aditya

When the silver industry in Kotagede, Yogyakarta, was gradually declining, Surya Aditya (27) felt compelled to intervene. Through his start-up Sweda.co, Surya revives the prestige of Kotagede’s silver crafts. Many of the firm’s products now adorn celebrities in the United States.

Surya started his business Sweda.co in 2014. His hobby of wearing rings inadvertently led him into the silver handicraft business. One time, he found no sellers who produced the exact ring he wanted. This inspired him to make his own design and ask a silversmith to produce the piece.

“I was born and raised in Kotagede. I found that my design was actually popular among my friends, which prompted me to slowly start my own business while I was finishing my university’s degree,” said Surya when he was interviewed in Sweda.co Studio, Kotagede, Yogyakarta, on Tuesday (23/3/2021).

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At that time, Surya was a student of the School of Fine Arts at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Yogyakarta. His start-up grew so considerably that he soon encountered difficulties in managing his business by himself. He then asked his brother Syah Rizal (31), and school friend Taufik Hidayat (28) to join his growing business in 2016. In 2017, Surya discontinued his studies to focus on his business.

The region of Kotagede has long been known as the center of Yogyakarta’s silver craftsmanship. The names of silver handicraft businesses are plastered on the city’s roads. Unfortunately, the industry has suffered from declining prestige.

I was born and raised in Kotagede. I found that my design was actually popular among my friends, which prompted me to slowly start my own business.

Surya believed the creativity of entrepreneurs dabbling in silver crafts had stagnated. There appeared to be little effort to revive the city’s silver artisanship to attract the younger generation. Regeneration, too, seems to have stalled.

“It is rare for my generation [to have an interest in the silver industry]. Even if they decide to join the industry, they only focus on conventional jewellery, such as agate rings or wedding rings. They do not mix their businesses with the youth culture,” explained Surya.

KOMPAS/NINO CITRA ANUGRAHANTO

Surya Aditya

Through Sweda.co, Surya puts a contemporary touch on his silver products, most of which are signet rings and pendants. His designs consist of various themes. He combines traditional handcraft with art, music and youth culture.

In 2015, Surya started to focus on his business. Two factors motivated him to run his own business. “First, there were indeed not too many players in the silver industry. Other than that, this business could also help revive the city’s silver craft tradition,” said Surya.

Hence, even though the designs of silver pieces produced by Sweda.co are largely contemporary in nature, their production methods are still traditional. The traditional methods are preserved to give the products added value. In this regard, the details of the products are also highly precise.

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Surya tried to penetrate foreign markets in late 2015. This started with his close friend’s liking for an American streetwear brand called Us Versus Them. His friend then asked him to design rings for the streetwear brand.

Surya immediately made the requested design, which was then emailed to the streetwear brand. His design was warmly received by one of the streetwear brand’s founders. “They were happy that there were Indonesians who appreciated their products. They then asked me to make a sample of the design,” said Surya.

Upon receiving the sample, those at Us Versus Them were astonished. Along with the sample, Surya also sent a video recording the traditional methods used in producing the sample ring, which were greatly appreciated by his American counterparts. The collaboration between Surya and the American streetwear brand blossomed. At that time, at least 150 rings were sold in the United States at prices ranging from US$150 to $300.

To date, 80 percent of our market is the US. Then, 10 percent Europe, Asia and Australia.

From there, opportunities to collaborate with others continued to appear, including another American streetwear brand, Tribal Gear.

“After that, collaboration with communities of car and motorcycle enthusiasts began. To date, 80 percent of our market is the US. Then, 10 percent Europe, Asia and Australia. The other 10 percent is Jakarta, Surabaya and regions outside Java,” said Surya.

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KOMPAS/NINO CITRA ANUGRAHANTO

Surya Aditya, the owner of Sweda.co, checks the work on the silver ring at the Sweda.co Office, Yogyakarta, Friday (23/3/2021).

Surya has never stopped his efforts to further popularize Sweda.co. Some of the musicians who wear his rings are Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), Joey Badass and Layzie Bone.

Surya recalled his experience in meeting MGK during the latter’s Hotel Diablo World Tour in Jakarta, 2019. Surya, who had backstage access, directly gave a ring that he designed to the singer, who later on uploaded a picture of the ring to his Instagram story. Surya’s phone was flooded with notifications from MGK’s post for four hours.

“Our marketing strategy is primarily through greetings on social media platforms. It is particularly useful to start a conversation with celebrities. Whether or not we receive a reply from them does not concern us. The important thing is that we try to reach these celebrities,” said Surya.

Our marketing strategy is primarily through greetings on social media platforms.

Other than orders from foreign countries, Surya has also been involved in projects pertaining to the President’s Cup. He has been asked twice to work on trophies for the soccer tournament, namely in 2017 and 2019. “These occurred accidentally. There was a client who ordered a ring with a design of an Australian football club, the Brisbane Roar. On the next day, I was asked to come with him to [Surakarta]. It turned out that he was part of the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI), and he asked me to design a trophy,” recalled Surya.

One of the obstacles Surya encounters in running his business is human resources. He admitted that he had difficulty finding craftsmen who could produce rings according to his designs. Sweda.co’s ring designs indeed require high accuracy.

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Currently, Surya employs 19 people at Sweda.co, including office employees and craftsmen. The employees, aged 22 to 35, are all paid according to Yogyakarta minimum wage.

“I want to represent the culture of Kotagede abroad. My target is to hold a workshop in the US. After the pandemic ends, I plan to go there. Maybe my trip to the US could also strengthen my business networks and enable me to introduce my silver crafts to more people,” said Surya.

Surya Aditya

Born: Yogyakarta, Oct. 29, 1994

Education:

· State vocational school SMK 3 Seni Rupa Yogyakarta, Kasihan, Bantul

· School of Fine Arts at the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Yogyakarta (Unfinished)

This article was translated by Astria Z. Nabila