Even as a teenager, Dea Valencia Budiarto knew she wanted to share the colorful patterns and hues of Indonesia’s hand-made batik textiles with others. So when she was 17-years-old, she started making dresses out of her mom’s vintage batik collection.

Twenty garments later, Batik Kultur, a women’s clothing label from Semarang, Indonesia, was born.

Since launching in 2011, the brand — which employs 110 local dressmakers and produces up to 1,500 garments every month — has grown into two brick-and-mortar stores and developed a strong online presence. As customer interest in her collections grew, Dea wanted to synchronize her brand’s external communications and turned to the WhatsApp Business app to do so.

20 percent of all Batik Kultur’s online traffic comes via the app

Dea says 20 percent of all Batik Kultur’s online traffic comes via the app, and 70 percent of these inquiries result in sales. Its away messages feature helps Dea’s team connect with customers beyond office hours. And the WhatsApp Business app’s quick replies feature means they can respond to frequently asked questions about Batik Kultur's products faster and more systematically.

Artisanal trades like hand-made Batik are becoming relics in Indonesia. Time-consuming and not as profitable as they used to be, modern fashion is threatening to make them extinct. Dea wants to help preserve a national tradition and share her fashion-forward mission with the world. With Batik Kultur — and the help of the WhatsApp Business app — she is doing her part.