We sparked conversations with historians, cultural practitioners, and native residents. We listened to understand how Indonesia's colonial history has affected and shaped Madurese culture from past to present, specifically the way of dressing and its philosophy.

We spoke with garment makers, residents who wear these garments and academics in the field of Javanese dress and culture. It is important that we seek the perspectives of local indigenous communities, as we see decolonised thinking as something that begins from the ground up. The results were then analysed in three phases: observation, reflection and interpretation, as detailed by Ingrid E. Mida and Alexandra Kim in The Dress Detective.

We do this by thinking, discussing, arguing and debating about how the future would be as we think about the possible and plausible futures. Then, a more insular way of thinking was adopted, which places more weight on cultural influences of the Javanese themselves and how native skills and crafts could have propelled Madurese design forward.