Re-Storying the Cultural Values of Batik Gedog: Narrative Strategies Among Emerging Fashion Designers

Traditional culture encounters increasing challenges in sustaining its relevance within the dynamics of contemporary society. Cultural values constitute a form of collective identity and serve as a foundation for preserving locally embedded knowledge systems. However, processes of globalization and socio-economic transformation increasingly influence how younger generations, including emerging fashion designers, perceive and interpret cultural heritage as a source of creative inspiration. This study investigates the use of storytelling strategies as a medium for reinterpreting cultural values in fashion design, with a particular focus on Batik Gedog from Tuban, East Java. Adopting a combined approach of narrative inquiry and practice-based research, the study engages three young fashion designers to examine their approaches to integrating cultural elements within the design process. The findings demonstrate that storytelling functions as an effective interpretive parameter in practical-based research and adaptation of cultural relation in fashion design, enabling designers to contextualize and reinterpret cultural values while aligning them with their creative identities and design characteristics.