This
undated handout picture shows a Sri Lankan model displaying
a hand painted silk batik beach wrap on a beach at Colombo.
Sri Lanka is reviving its slumping batik industry in
a bid to grab a spot in the world of haute couture.
Batik, which means ‘wax writing’, is the art
of decorating fabric with molten wax. The intricately
hand-painted wax-and-dye ethnic art, has fallen on hard
times. Poor marketing, boring designs and a flood of
batik products made from cheap dyes has ruined the industry
that was once fledgling export market and a popular
souvenir item among foreign visitors. AFP.
