Chitra Subyakto never set out to be a fashion designer. But as Indonesia’s textiles began to fade from daily life and global relevance, she felt compelled to do something more than admire them. Her journey from a magazine stylist to the founder of Sejauh Mata Memandang is less about personal ambition and more about a quiet rebellion—against fast fashion, cultural erosion, and forgetting where we come from.

Born and raised in Jakarta, Chitra grew up steeped in Indonesian culture, thanks in part to her father—a naval admiral turned diplomat—who ensured family life was rich with museum visits, traditional dance performances, and stories of the archipelago. That childhood curiosity evolved into an adult obsession. While styling major Indonesian films like Laskar Pelangi and Gie, Chitra would seek out forgotten fabrics, lost motifs, and stories buried in old garments. She was searching not just for clothes—but for memory.

In 2014, she launched Sejauh Mata Memandang, a slow fashion label whose name roughly translates to "As Far As the Eye Can See." It began with simple wraps and scarves, each print narrating something intimate about Indonesian life—a rooster from a noodle bowl, a rice field pattern, a forgotten batik flourish. Unlike trend-driven labels, Sejauh's pieces weren’t made to chase seasons. They were made to endure, both as design and as philosophy.

Chitra’s work is deeply rooted in the idea that fabric can be a storyteller. “I’m not a fashion person,” she once said. “I just like telling stories with textiles.” And those stories, invariably, circle back to Indonesia’s people—its artisans, farmers, dyers, and mothers. She partners with craftspeople from Java to Madura, using natural dyes and responsibly sourced fabrics like Tencel and linen. Every piece is produced with as little waste as possible. Leftover textiles become scrunchies, notebooks, or are simply rewoven into new designs.

But her work is not just about nostalgia. It’s also a critique. Against environmental degradation, against the fashion industry’s excesses, and against the colonial legacy that once devalued Southeast Asia’s aesthetic traditions. “The fashion world has often made us feel like our traditional clothes aren’t modern,” she told Manual Jakarta. “But that’s not true. They’re beautiful. They just need to be recontextualized.”

That recontextualization is what Chitra does best. Whether it’s a wrap skirt with a modern cut or a scarf printed with the image of a traditional gamelan instrument, her pieces speak to a younger generation that wants to wear its culture with pride, not just on ceremonial days, but daily—on the street, at work, or abroad.

Her label is now worn by cultural figures like Dian Sastrowardoyo and showcased at fashion festivals across Southeast Asia. But Chitra remains grounded. She’s more interested in teaching customers to care for their garments, to understand the origins of each motif, and to support sustainable practices, than in expansion or trends.

During the pandemic, Sejauh launched educational campaigns about the importance of local production and environmental preservation. Chitra used her platform to highlight the climate crisis, urging followers to think critically about how their clothes are made, and what traditions are being preserved—or lost—in the process.

In a world overrun with disposable fashion, Chitra Subyakto’s approach feels radical in its patience. Her designs don’t scream. They whisper. They invite. They remind. Through Sejauh Mata Memandang, she has created more than a brand—she has created a language that lets Indonesians wear their stories, and offers the rest of the world a window into an archipelago stitched together by history, craft, and care.

And as far as the eye can see, her vision stretches quietly, confidently—sustainable, rooted, and unapologetically Indonesian.