Menemani: The Mandalas x Yayasan Habibie & Ainun Collection
Posted by Mandalas Editorial Team
The collection is called Menemani — Indonesian for accompanying. For a collaboration with Yayasan Habibie & Ainun, it is difficult to imagine a more deliberate choice of word.
Mandalas has worked with the foundation on an exclusive collection of batik and kebaya, released around National Batik Day. This guide covers what is in it, what the pattern means, and how to choose between the pieces.
Menemani means to accompany, to keep company, to be alongside someone. It is a quiet verb rather than a grand one, and that restraint is the point.
B.J. Habibie and Hasri Ainun Habibie married in 1962 and were together until her death on 22 May 2010 — a marriage of forty-eight years, spanning his engineering career in Germany, his return to Indonesia, and his presidency. Ainun served as First Lady and chaired Yayasan Karya Bhakti RIA Pembangunan from 1998 until she died. After her death, Habibie wrote a book about their life together; it was later adapted for film, and in 2015 he dedicated a monument to her in Parepare, his home town, on what would have been their fifty-third anniversary.
What endures publicly about them is not a single achievement but a pattern of presence — two people who kept each other company through long and demanding lives. A collection named Menemani takes its cue from that rather than from any one event.
Three colourways
The collection runs in three colour stories, each carried across the full range so couples and families can coordinate:
Wilis — icy blue. The lightest of the three, and the easiest in daylight and heat.
Nilakandi — navy. The most formal, and the one that carries best into evening.
Gau — dusty. The softest and warmest in tone, and the most contemporary of the three.
The meaning behind the pattern
Mandalas describes Menemani as a story of love, destiny, and the details that make a meeting last forever. The pattern is built from five elements, and each one carries part of that story.
Sky Full of Stars
A scattered field of stars, described as being like the Truntum motif — a love that constantly blooms.
The reference is carefully chosen. Truntum is a classic Javanese motif from the Surakarta court, created by Kanjeng Ratu Kencana, consort of Sunan Pakubuwana III. The name comes from the Javanese tumaruntum, meaning to grow again or bloom again. The story told of it is that the queen, feeling neglected, drew stars and flowers onto cloth — and her husband's affection returned.
Truntum has been associated ever since with love that renews itself and with devotion that does not fade. In Javanese weddings it is traditionally worn by the parents of the couple, as a sign of guidance into married life. For a collection honouring a marriage of forty-eight years, it is difficult to think of a more fitting reference.
Anggrek Serat
An orchid, standing for quiet strength and steady growth, reflecting Eyang Habibie's steadfast presence.
Kantil
A cherished Javanese flower, chosen because Eyang Ainun's graceful presence never fades.
Gardenia
A quiet love that blooms before it is spoken — described by the design team as being like a little secret.
Butterfly
One meeting, a lifetime together, reflecting the destiny the collection is named for.
Eyang is the Javanese honorific for a grandparent, and it is how the foundation refers to them — a detail worth noticing, because it places the two of them in the register of family rather than office.
Nilakandi — the navy colourway, men's long sleeve, the most formal of the three.
What is in the collection
Five garment types, each available in all three colourways:
For men
Premium long sleeve batik shirt — IDR 479,000. The formal option, for weddings, ceremonies and client-facing occasions.
Premium short sleeve batik shirt — IDR 449,000. The daily and Friday-batik option.
For women
Long sleeve kutubaru kebaya tunic — IDR 479,000. Tunic length, so it works on its own.
Short sleeve kutubaru kebaya top — IDR 399,000. Lighter, and the easier of the two in heat.
Pleated skirt — IDR 349,000. Designed to pair with either kebaya, or to be worn with a plain top.
The women's pieces use the kutubaru cut, recognisable by the bef panel across the midsection — the most distinctly Javanese of the kebaya forms. Our guide to kebaya styles explains how it differs from encim and Kartini.
This is the part worth understanding before you buy. Because every colourway runs across men's and women's pieces, the collection functions as a sarimbit range — coordinated rather than identical dressing.
A couple — men's shirt and women's kebaya in the same colourway. Long sleeve on both for formal occasions, short sleeve on both for daytime.
A complete women's look — kebaya top with the matching pleated skirt, which removes the question of what to wear underneath.
A family — one colourway across several people, varying sleeve length by preference rather than forcing everyone into the same garment.
If you are coordinating for a larger group, our guide to choosing sarimbit for a family covers how to do it without everyone looking like a uniform.
Which colourway to choose
For a formal evening event — Nilakandi, long sleeve. Navy is the most formal ground and the most forgiving under artificial light.
For a daytime ceremony or outdoor wedding — Wilis. Icy blue reads fresher in hard daylight and is cooler to wear.
For something you will wear often — Gau. The dusty tone is the most contemporary and the least tied to formal occasions.
If you are buying as a gift — Nilakandi is the safest, because navy suits the widest range of colouring and occasions.
Gau — the dusty colourway, men's long sleeve, the most contemporary of the three.
Sizing and fit
These are Indonesian-cut garments, which run closer to the body than Western equivalents. Rather than ordering your usual letter size, measure a shirt or top you already own and compare against the size chart on the product page. If you are between sizes, size up — a garment can be taken in, but shoulders cannot be let out.
The collection is made in 65% lyocell and 35% cotton — the fluid, cool hand of lyocell given quiet structure by cotton. It is soft from the first wear rather than needing to be broken in.
The shirts carry four construction details worth knowing about:
A covered button placket, so the fastening is concealed for a cleaner line.
A hidden pocket, for essentials.
Adjustable cuffs, so the fit can be set to preference.
A soft inner lining, for comfort against the skin.
Care is stricter than for ordinary cotton batik, and this matters. Because of the lyocell content:
Dry clean is preferred.
Hand wash only if you are washing at home — not machine wash.
Keep out of direct sunlight when drying.
Iron at low temperature.
Lyocell is less forgiving than cotton of heat and agitation, so the low iron setting and the hand-wash instruction are not optional refinements. The pleated skirt should also be hung rather than folded, so the pleats keep their line.
The pleated skirt in Gau — hang rather than fold, so the pleats hold.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Menemani collection?
An exclusive batik and kebaya collection from Mandalas in collaboration with Yayasan Habibie & Ainun, released around National Batik Day. Menemani is Indonesian for accompanying.
What colours does it come in?
Three: Wilis in icy blue, Nilakandi in navy, and Gau in a dusty tone. Each runs across the full range of garments.
What pieces are available?
Men's long and short sleeve batik shirts, women's long and short sleeve kutubaru kebaya, and a matching pleated skirt.
Can it be worn as a couple or family set?
Yes. Every colourway runs across men's and women's pieces, so it works as a sarimbit range without everyone wearing an identical garment.
What is a kutubaru kebaya?
A Javanese kebaya form recognisable by the bef panel across the midsection, joining the two front sections.
What does the Menemani pattern mean?
Five elements: Sky Full of Stars for a love that constantly blooms, Anggrek Serat for Eyang Habibie's steadfast presence, Kantil for Eyang Ainun's grace, Gardenia for a love that blooms before it is spoken, and a Butterfly for one meeting that lasts a lifetime.
What fabric is it made from?
65% lyocell and 35% cotton — fluid and cool, with structure from the cotton.
How should I wash it?
Dry clean is preferred. If washing at home, hand wash only, dry away from direct sunlight, and iron at low temperature.
How much does it cost?
From IDR 349,000 for the pleated skirt to IDR 479,000 for the long sleeve shirt and kebaya tunic.
In short
Three colourways across five garments, built so a couple or a family can coordinate without matching exactly. Nilakandi for formal, Wilis for daylight, Gau for everyday — and a pattern in which every element — stars, orchid, kantil, gardenia, butterfly — carries part of the same story.
Menemani: The Mandalas x Yayasan Habibie & Ainun Collection
The collection is called Menemani — Indonesian for accompanying. For a collaboration with Yayasan Habibie & Ainun, it is difficult to imagine a more deliberate choice of word.
Mandalas has worked with the foundation on an exclusive collection of batik and kebaya, released around National Batik Day. This guide covers what is in it, what the pattern means, and how to choose between the pieces.
Why the name matters
Menemani means to accompany, to keep company, to be alongside someone. It is a quiet verb rather than a grand one, and that restraint is the point.
B.J. Habibie and Hasri Ainun Habibie married in 1962 and were together until her death on 22 May 2010 — a marriage of forty-eight years, spanning his engineering career in Germany, his return to Indonesia, and his presidency. Ainun served as First Lady and chaired Yayasan Karya Bhakti RIA Pembangunan from 1998 until she died. After her death, Habibie wrote a book about their life together; it was later adapted for film, and in 2015 he dedicated a monument to her in Parepare, his home town, on what would have been their fifty-third anniversary.
What endures publicly about them is not a single achievement but a pattern of presence — two people who kept each other company through long and demanding lives. A collection named Menemani takes its cue from that rather than from any one event.
Three colourways
The collection runs in three colour stories, each carried across the full range so couples and families can coordinate:
The meaning behind the pattern
Mandalas describes Menemani as a story of love, destiny, and the details that make a meeting last forever. The pattern is built from five elements, and each one carries part of that story.
Sky Full of Stars
A scattered field of stars, described as being like the Truntum motif — a love that constantly blooms.
The reference is carefully chosen. Truntum is a classic Javanese motif from the Surakarta court, created by Kanjeng Ratu Kencana, consort of Sunan Pakubuwana III. The name comes from the Javanese tumaruntum, meaning to grow again or bloom again. The story told of it is that the queen, feeling neglected, drew stars and flowers onto cloth — and her husband's affection returned.
Truntum has been associated ever since with love that renews itself and with devotion that does not fade. In Javanese weddings it is traditionally worn by the parents of the couple, as a sign of guidance into married life. For a collection honouring a marriage of forty-eight years, it is difficult to think of a more fitting reference.
Anggrek Serat
An orchid, standing for quiet strength and steady growth, reflecting Eyang Habibie's steadfast presence.
Kantil
A cherished Javanese flower, chosen because Eyang Ainun's graceful presence never fades.
Gardenia
A quiet love that blooms before it is spoken — described by the design team as being like a little secret.
Butterfly
One meeting, a lifetime together, reflecting the destiny the collection is named for.
Eyang is the Javanese honorific for a grandparent, and it is how the foundation refers to them — a detail worth noticing, because it places the two of them in the register of family rather than office.
What is in the collection
Five garment types, each available in all three colourways:
For men
For women
The women's pieces use the kutubaru cut, recognisable by the bef panel across the midsection — the most distinctly Javanese of the kebaya forms. Our guide to kebaya styles explains how it differs from encim and Kartini.
It is built to be worn as a set
This is the part worth understanding before you buy. Because every colourway runs across men's and women's pieces, the collection functions as a sarimbit range — coordinated rather than identical dressing.
If you are coordinating for a larger group, our guide to choosing sarimbit for a family covers how to do it without everyone looking like a uniform.
Which colourway to choose
Sizing and fit
These are Indonesian-cut garments, which run closer to the body than Western equivalents. Rather than ordering your usual letter size, measure a shirt or top you already own and compare against the size chart on the product page. If you are between sizes, size up — a garment can be taken in, but shoulders cannot be let out.
Our fit and size guide covers the four measurements that matter, and the long sleeve and short sleeve guides cover where cuffs and hems should sit.
The fabric, and how to look after it
The collection is made in 65% lyocell and 35% cotton — the fluid, cool hand of lyocell given quiet structure by cotton. It is soft from the first wear rather than needing to be broken in.
The shirts carry four construction details worth knowing about:
Care is stricter than for ordinary cotton batik, and this matters. Because of the lyocell content:
Lyocell is less forgiving than cotton of heat and agitation, so the low iron setting and the hand-wash instruction are not optional refinements. The pleated skirt should also be hung rather than folded, so the pleats keep their line.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Menemani collection?
An exclusive batik and kebaya collection from Mandalas in collaboration with Yayasan Habibie & Ainun, released around National Batik Day. Menemani is Indonesian for accompanying.
What colours does it come in?
Three: Wilis in icy blue, Nilakandi in navy, and Gau in a dusty tone. Each runs across the full range of garments.
What pieces are available?
Men's long and short sleeve batik shirts, women's long and short sleeve kutubaru kebaya, and a matching pleated skirt.
Can it be worn as a couple or family set?
Yes. Every colourway runs across men's and women's pieces, so it works as a sarimbit range without everyone wearing an identical garment.
What is a kutubaru kebaya?
A Javanese kebaya form recognisable by the bef panel across the midsection, joining the two front sections.
What does the Menemani pattern mean?
Five elements: Sky Full of Stars for a love that constantly blooms, Anggrek Serat for Eyang Habibie's steadfast presence, Kantil for Eyang Ainun's grace, Gardenia for a love that blooms before it is spoken, and a Butterfly for one meeting that lasts a lifetime.
What fabric is it made from?
65% lyocell and 35% cotton — fluid and cool, with structure from the cotton.
How should I wash it?
Dry clean is preferred. If washing at home, hand wash only, dry away from direct sunlight, and iron at low temperature.
How much does it cost?
From IDR 349,000 for the pleated skirt to IDR 479,000 for the long sleeve shirt and kebaya tunic.
In short
Three colourways across five garments, built so a couple or a family can coordinate without matching exactly. Nilakandi for formal, Wilis for daylight, Gau for everyday — and a pattern in which every element — stars, orchid, kantil, gardenia, butterfly — carries part of the same story.
Browse the Habibie & Ainun Exclusive Collection.