Bali Fashion Week: Standouts despite the no-shows<\/p>\n
Rita Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Jimbaran, Bali<\/p>\n
It has been a very busy month for Bali, as the host of numerous
\nlocal and international gatherings, from the 9th Southeast Asian
\nNation (ASEAN) Summit to last week's brief stopover of U.S.
\nPresident George W. Bush.<\/p>\n
More importantly, the island also observed the first
\ncommemoration of the Oct. 12, 2002 bombing, in a ceremony
\nattended by Australian Prime Minister John Howard and families of
\nthe 202 victims who died during the blasts at Sari Club and
\nPaddy's.<\/p>\n
Despite the hectic schedule, Mardiana Ika, the initiator of
\nBali Fashion Week (BFW), insisted on holding the three-day
\nfashion event on the theme \"From Heritage to Legacy\" at Bali
\nIntercontinental Hotel in Jimbaran in the middle of the month.<\/p>\n
She hoped to attract local fashion players and foreign buyers
\nas part of her efforts to promote Indonesian fashion worldwide.<\/p>\n
\"Oct. 12 last year was a very special date to me that changed
\nmy life and the lives of so many people in Bali and other
\ncountries, like Australia and the United States,\" Ika told The
\nJakarta Post prior to the event.<\/p>\n
Since its debut in 2000, the fashion week has been held in
\nMay, the peak holiday season, but this year was moved to coincide
\nwith the Oct. 12 commemoration. That may have had something to do
\nwith the drop from around 80 exhibitors last year to 68 booths
\nthis time around.<\/p>\n
Foreign buyers may have skipped the event due to fears about
\nthe security situation on the island and in the country, but they
\nalso plan their schedule a year ahead, and a change in dates is
\nsure to clash with other plans.<\/p>\n
As Ika has said on numerous occasions, the Bali Fashion Week
\nintends to bring together Indonesian-related fashion players --
\nincluding textile and garment industries, fashion designers,
\ncosmetic and jewelry producers -- to show their latest
\ncollections and network with potential buyers, both domestic and
\nforeign.<\/p>\n
\"We want to establish a strong platform for the Indonesian
\nfashion industry to get a foothold in the international fashion
\narena, and this event provides those involved in the industry
\nwith facilities and the means to promote their products,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
This good intention deserves everybody's attention, especially
\nfrom the government which relies heavily on the textile-garment
\nindustry to make up the shortfall from declining non-oil exports.<\/p>\n
Of course, the media plays a vital role in getting the word
\nout about local fashion. This year's event, however, drew only a
\nsmall number of journalists, with the rest burdened by covering
\nso many events at one time. Again, it was a matter of timing, and
\nsomething the organizers must think about for future events.<\/p>\n
Still, a number of designers from Jakarta, Bali, Yogyakarta,
\nSemarang, Surabaya and Makassar came to present what proved to be
\noutstanding fashion collections, mostly using traditional fabrics
\nand locally modified design styles to leave their own striking
\nmark on the local industry.<\/p>\n
Standouts included Taruna Kusmayadi, who smartly combined
\nmodern and traditional designs using a local sarong motif from
\nMajalaya near Bandung, West Java. Other designers such as Etty
\nBachetta and Denny Khosuma also made use of local fabrics like
\nbatik from Yogyakarta and sarong fabric from Samarinda, East
\nKalimantan. The works of Kiata Kianda, Dina Midiani, Yunita
\nKosasih and others were highlights of the shows, held every night
\nduring the three-day event.<\/p>\n
Senior designer Poppy Dharsono also appeared with lurik,
\ntraditional Javanese woven cloth.<\/p>\n
Poppy, former chairwoman of the Indonesian Association of
\nFashion Designers and Businesspeople (APPMI) and currently chief
\nof the Indonesian Association for Garment and Textile Producers,
\ntold the Post during the recent Southeast Asian (ASEAN) Business
\nand Investment Summit in Nusa Dua that the Indonesian fashion and
\ntextile industry was on the brink of bankruptcy due to
\ncompetition in the global fashion and textile business.<\/p>\n
\"What is more important is the lack of government support and
\nstrong political will in encouraging the local textile and
\ngarment industry, as well as Indonesian fashion designers,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The fashion industry, she said, required collaboration among
\nmany sectors, such as designers, textile and garment producers,
\nthe government, in securing buyers in domestic and foreign
\nmarkets.<\/p>\n
\"The Indonesian fashion industry is now facing the influx of
\nillegal textile and imported fashion products from overseas, sold
\nin Indonesia at very low prices,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"The rapid growth of factory outlets in almost every corner of
\nIndonesian cities has contributed to the decline of local textile
\nand garment producers.<\/p>\n
The problems are exacerbated by labor and export-import
\npolicies which leave Indonesian fashion products unable to
\ncompete with those from China, India, Vietnam, Mexico and even
\nBangladesh, Poppy said.<\/p>\n
The annual fashion week and other expos are important, she
\nsaid, but follow-up was essential to make sure the products were
\nsalable and suited the demands of the international market. She
\nurged the government to revise the current policies regarding
\nfashion and textile industry.<\/p>\n
\"Otherwise, fashion activities will only remain as festive
\narenas for the designers, while our fashion products are still
\nunheard of and unnoticed on international fashion stages and in
\nfashion markets,\" Poppy said.<\/p>",
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