When Denica Riadini-Flesch founded SukkhaCitta in 2016, she never imagined that the brand would grow into what it is now. From working with three to over 1500 artisans, the social enterprise has continued to build an ecosystem of traceable sustainability while still ensuring that everything points back to the stories of the ibus and artisans behind the pieces.
Echoing that sentiment, the brand’s flagship store in Ashta District 8, which was designed in collaboration with Ago Architects, embraces simplicity and minimalist lines to place focus on these stories. For Denica, it’s her hope that “this little home can feel like a sanctuary. A space to reconnect with the hands that created each piece and the Earth where the materials came from.”
Inside, the brand’s collections, from their early Pagi Senja to the most recent Kapas are on display. The latter spotlights regeneratively-grown cotton grown by indigenous women farmers, which are then spun into threads and hand-stitched without using any machinery or electricity—a process that purposefully takes up to 180 days.
Through interacting with the clothes, the store invites customers to grasp a better understanding of the value behind each piece and process. There’s the Angkasa shirt, which takes 27 dips to reach its signature shade of deep indigo, the hand-drawn Batik techniques and motifs that grace multiple tops and outers, and the regeneratively-grown botanic dyes, which include their own indigo farm.
Everything on display is intentional and can be connected back to the pieces hung in the room. The traditional loom at the storefront hints at the meticulous process behind the hand-stitched Kapas dresses and tops, while plated sappan and mahogany wood chips unveiled some of the raw ingredients involved in their natural dyeing process.
Behind a wooden partition, the back side of the room is reserved for the atelier, where customers can try on one-of-a-kind pieces like the brand’s ReMadeRight pieces—each uniquely made out of upcycled leftover fabric to reduce textile waste—as well as book appointments for custom fittings.
Right next to the changing room, a small map on the wall illustrates the impact SukkhaCitta has nurtured through their farms and villages. From Pekalongan in Central Java to Maumere in Flores, Rumah SukkhaCitta was built to train and collaborate with local artisans, not only to keep these traditions alive but to secure their continuity—an effort that granted them a B Corp Certification and most notably the ‘Best of the World’ title.
True to their original vision, Denica reflected how the flagship is “truly an embodiment of the interconnection and the value of gotong royong (togetherness) behind SukkhaCitta. An ode to craftsmanship and beauty found within Indonesia’s many cultures.”