Jakarta's first Fashion Week: A blur of shapes and colors<\/p>\n
By Dini.S. Djalal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Fashion Week has arrived in Jakarta, and style
\nhounds may never air-kiss the same way again.<\/p>\n
In a move to bolster the local garment industry, Indonesia's
\ndesigners have teamed up with Metro Department Store and the
\nJakarta Tourism Promotion Board to present a week-long glittery
\nspectacle of frocks, frocks, and more frocks. It's doubtful if
\nthe Jakarta Convention Center has ever been host to so many of
\nthe city's Beautiful People.<\/p>\n
But beauty alone can't sustain one's enthusiasm. After only
\ntwo days, the catwalk parade became a blur of shapes and colors.
\nSeasonal shows in Milan, Paris and New York can be boring too,
\nbut, in those fashion capitals, the excitement of witnessing the
\nshaping of global style is reason enough to stay alert. Save for
\na few outstanding image-makers, Indonesia's designers cannot
\nmuster the same authority or interest.<\/p>\n
Some humble participants acknowledge that it may be premature
\nto assume that the market's zeal is comparable to the designers'
\nambitions. \"Okay, we may still be far away from a true Fashion
\nWeek,\" said leading Indonesian designer Biyan Wanaatmadja. But as
\na key motor of designer retailing, having established three
\nboutiques in Jakarta, Biyan is determined to battle the odds.<\/p>\n
\"Why not try?,\" added Biyan. \"We have to step forward, to
\nraise the market's awareness of our presence.\"<\/p>\n
Rising star Sebastian Gunawan agrees: \"If we do this later,
\nall the name brands are going to grab the market.\"<\/p>\n
Sebastian was alluding to this year's bombardment of Jakarta
\nby international fashion houses, particularly in Plaza Indonesia
\nand Plaza Senayan. From Prada to Paul Smith, Cerutti to Calvin
\nKlein, Issey Miyake to Thierry Mugler, the world's top designers
\nare setting up shops in the city's malls.<\/p>\n
And although the mark of these trendsetters is unmistakable in
\nlocal collections, Indonesian designers are fighting for a piece
\nof the consumer pie.<\/p>\n
Hence Fashion Week, which is showcasing more than 60
\ndesigners, including 26 from the Indonesian Fashion Designer
\nCouncil (IPMI), who showed on Monday and Tuesday; 23 from the
\nIndonesian Fashion Designers Association (APPMI), who show from
\nWednesday to Friday; plus a set of Busana Moslem (Moslem fashion)
\ndesigners. The production, reputed to cost several hundred
\nmillion rupiahs, is being witnessed not only by the local fashion
\nindustry, but also by fashion writers from Italy, France, Spain,
\nSouth Africa, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries.<\/p>\n
What's at stake this week is not only the reputation of the
\ndesigners but also of retailers. But Christine Barki, Metro
\nDepartment Store's general manager, was pleased by the results.<\/p>\n
\"It was more focused and more wearable this year,\" said Barki.
\nMetro plans to launch the exclusive IPMI collections in April,
\nsimultaneously with the international collections. APPMI
\nproducts, meanwhile, will not be exclusive to Metro, although
\nBarki adds that, \"It is the responsibility of retailers to
\nsupport both associations\".<\/p>\n
When asked if consumers will respond positively to the
\ncollections, Barki answered with the resolve of a serious
\ninvestor, \"It has to happen.\"<\/p>\n
Consistent<\/p>\n
Whether or not what is shown now will still be all the rage in
\nApril is unknown, but the audience seemed receptive to the
\nofferings. Some designers, however, impressed more than others.<\/p>\n
As always, the best collections came from designers who
\nconsistently achieve excellence. They include Biyan, Ghea
\nPanggabean, Ronald Gaghana, Hutama Adhi, Thomas Sigar, and Tuti
\nCholid. Some great designs also came from Sebastian Gunawan
\n(great lace and animal prints), Stephanus Hamy (sumptuous tie-
\ndye), and Itang Yunasz (beautiful bias-cut dresses).<\/p>\n
Ronald Gaghana's set, however, is the one on everybody's lips.
\nA completely white collection -- from shoes, hosiery, to scarves
\nand gowns -- Gaghana presented a clean vision of what modern
\nshould be. But his idea of spare chic is not uncluttered. Gaghana
\nbravely layers separates, putting skirts over trousers, blouses
\nover knitwear, gowns over gowns. His shapes are unobtrusive, but
\nthey are not boring. Asymmetrical tops, military jackets, and
\npants cutting at the knee, all converged into a marriage of
\ncreativity and wearability. The textures also pushed the
\nboundaries -- in glimmering knits, sheers, satins, and sequins,
\nthe models were like fireflies lighting the evening.<\/p>\n
Biyan, Gaghana's mentor, has a similarly uncompromising style.
\nKnown for his romantic embroidery and flower prints, Biyan called
\nhis new collection \"Out of Borneo\". He may as well have called it
\n\"Out of the ordinary\", as the first ensembles walked the stage
\nboasting bold Dayak prints in bright reds and oranges -- atypical
\nBiyan.<\/p>\n
\"Fashion is dynamic, it's about moving fast,\" said Biyan about
\nthe change in direction. \"It may be better to sit in your
\ncomfortable chair all the time, but you have to go ahead and make
\nnew things work.\"<\/p>\n
And it worked. The proportions -- long, lean, and spare -- are
\nstill signature Biyan, but the boldness isn't. The color-blocking
\nin particular was a gamble -- it may be Prada chic this season,
\nbut may be passe by springtime. The colors -- bright blues, acid
\nyellows and all shades of rust and chocolate -- were also a
\nwager, given that brown may not be, as the fashion set insist,
\n\"the new black\".<\/p>\n
It's when Biyan does \"ethnic\" that he surpasses all
\nexpectations. The sequined chiffon gowns in Dayak embroidery,
\nworn over sequined print trousers, were breathtaking. And it's in
\ndetailing that Biyan is incomparable. While many designers can go
\noverboard with the ethnic theme, Biyan sparely applies the Dayak
\ncurlicues on sleeves, the backs of shirts, in smatterings across
\na bias-cut dress. Fashion is a world of excess, but Biyan is the
\nmaster of restraint.<\/p>\n
Ghea also does ethnic chic well, but that is the foundation of
\nher success. In the new collection, she does not venture far from
\nher usual color or silhouette scheme.<\/p>\n
While her eveningwear still relies on grinsing and batik
\npatterns, her day prints, however, have varied. This year, Ghea
\ngoes zig-zag. Although her prints are on chiffon rather than
\nknits and most likely to be inspired by traditional textiles, the
\nprint is very Missoni, the Italian knitwear house famous for
\ntheir psychedelic designs.<\/p>\n
But derivation is nothing new in Indonesian fashion, and
\nGhea's opulent sampling of rich hippies on a Moroccan (or
\nPakistani, judging by the tie-dyeing and shalwar-kameez-type
\nsilhouettes) adventure -- complete with caftans, sandals, and
\npiles of beads -- is easy on the eye. Orientalism has never
\nlooked so good.<\/p>\n
Often regarded as too avant-garde, Hutama Adhi does layered
\npleats this time, and very well too. His colors are sweet pastels
\nthat set him apart from the \"brown is the new black\" pack. Some
\nmay also accuse his collection of being too Miyake-like, but in a
\nseason of Prada and Helmut Lang wannabes, turning Japanese is at
\nleast an unlikely inspiration. Adhi is clever because he knows
\nthe consumer wants romance, but in a modern way.<\/p>\n
Both Thomas Sigar and Tuti Cholid do what they know best, and
\ncame away with success. Sigar is graphic, sending down simple
\nblack-and-white dresses and suits in bold stripes. His Mondrian-
\ninspired collection is not as wearable, but at least it shows
\nguts.<\/p>\n
Tuti Cholid's big flower prints are not news, but such pretty
\ndresses in vibrant colors are not easy to find in this season's
\narray of geometric patterns and dirt colors.<\/p>\n
Difficulties<\/p>\n
Cholid does textiles brilliantly, which is an advantage.
\nSebastian Gunawan says that the textile industry, without whose
\naid designers cannot advance, is the show's prime target.<\/p>\n
\"They want to see how far we can go, and we want to show them
\nthat we're good enough and that they can trust us to do good
\nwork,\" Sebastian said.<\/p>\n
Lacking strong financial support, and\/or affordable production
\narrangements, many local designers struggle to produce quality
\ncollections without breaking their bank accounts. Biyan repeated,
\nhowever, that it's up to designers to make themselves known to
\nparties who may help them.<\/p>\n
\"It's one thing to be appreciated by the tourism promotion
\nboard. Fashion Week gives us other chances to broaden this
\nsynergy,\" said Biyan.<\/p>\n
Hutama Adhi, another up-and-coming designer, is optimistic
\nand believes that if the facilities are there local designers
\nwill survive the competition. \"Price is a consideration, and we
\ncan win consumers on that point,\" said Adhi.<\/p>\n
But Fauzi Bowo, the head of the Jakarta Tourism Promotion
\nBoard, says that currently Indonesian designs win on price alone.
\n\"The difference between shopping in Jakarta and in Singapore is
\nprice. But we are still far behind in terms of product knowledge
\nand customer satisfaction,\" Fauzi said.<\/p>\n
The necessity of stepping up professionalism within the
\nindustry is not lost on Biyan, who hopes the industry will break
\nout of its vicious circle of problems with initiative and
\ncooperation. \"Where's the egg and where's the hen?\" asks Biyan.
\n\"As a designer you have to know what consumers want, and you have
\nto be aware of retail opportunities. But it's not easy.\"<\/p>",
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