DR Hj. Anna Mariana SH. MH, MBA works as a legal consultant and establishes Mariana & Partners Law Firm. In the midst of her busy schedule, she develop a keen interest in collecting traditional fabrics such as batik, weave, and songket. This hobby soon grow as she take part in designing fabric motifs for weave and songket.

For more than 35 years she has produced diverse designs of weave and songket in motifs of ‘Nusantara’, from Bali to Palembang, Padang, Sulawesi, etc. As time went on, she created a private boutique by the name of ‘Marsya House of Batik Kebaya, Tenun, Songket & Accessories’ located in Pondok Indah.

To make these designs a handmade reality, Anna has more than a million craftsmen with high artistry and skill, spread across the country. This is due to the intricacy of the fabrics itself, having to work from 3 – 6 months to a year for a single piece.

Anna’s own fabric is weaved from all manner of threads: gold, silver, cotton, silk, and combination. Surely it is of an eco-friendly natural coloring, for the thread coloring is obtained from leaves, tree barks, etc.

By 2016 with the encouragement from Consultative Body for the Betawi, Anna put forth Betawi-motif weave and songket adapting the traditional Betawi icons such as Ondel-ondel, Coconut Flower, Gigi Balang ornaments, etc. These pieces had been worn by President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana Widodo during Lebaran Betawi in July 2017. The newly-appointed Governor for DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan and Vice-Governor Sandiaga Uno along with the respected First Ladies also worn the piece when accepting honorary titles of Abang and Mpok Betawi in December 2017.

Works of weave and songket exude the feeling of spectacular because in textile history of Betawi, only batik whose traditions have grown. Not only does Anna bring forward weave and songket in Betawi, she also strive to accommodate and elevate contemporary craftsmen. Doing so in order to have weave and songket last a lifetime as cultural heritage of the nation, maybe even evolve it to better heights.