JP\/4\/Oscar<\/p>\n
Oscar Lawalata:
\nFeminity is strength<\/p>\n
T. Sima Gunawan
\nContributor\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Since he was child, the boy often received admonitions from
\npeople surrounding him, including his mother, who frowned upon
\nhis feminity. Today, many still consider him "weird", he says.
\nBut Oscar Lawalata believes that his feminity is his strength,
\nwhich has contributed to his success as a young fashion designer.<\/p>\n
"They regard me as a weird person. They said: You are a man,
\nwhy are you so feminine? So beautiful? People like me, wherever
\nwe are in this part of the world, would remain eccentric,
\ndifferent, and it's hard to change it," said Oscar.<\/p>\n
Born in Pekanbaru, Riau, in 1977, the young Oscar grew up in
\nJakarta. His mother, Reggie Lawalata, a TV actress, got divorced
\nwhen he was a toddler, raising Oscar and his younger brother,
\nMario, as a single mother with little money.<\/p>\n
Oscar went to the Esmod Fashion School here but dropped out in
\n1998 in the economic crisis and chose to start his own fashion
\nbusiness. Winning second place in the ASEAN young designers'
\ncontest in Singapore in 1999, his designs also won people's
\nhearts and his career continues to improve. His customers include
\ntop singers Kris Dayanti, Titik DJ and Chrisye and his designs
\nnormally debut to packed audiences, most recently a show in Kuala
\nLumpur.<\/p>\n
The long-haired man who recently made his debut as an actor in
\nthe popular film Banyu Biru says he likes to feature ethnic
\ndesigns in his creations.<\/p>\n
During the interview at his workshop in Kebayoran Baru, South
\nJakarta, Oscar talked about his career and his life.<\/p>\n
Question: You look quite busy these days. What are you doing?<\/p>\n
Answer: I am working on Barbie children's wear, as well as
\nseveral uniform projects for some companies, including a hotel
\nand an airline. The clothes for children will be launched on the
\n26th of this month.<\/p>\n
We have several lines right now, ethnic-themed clothes with
\nthe label of Oscar Lawalata, evening gowns with the label of
\nOscar Couture and Oscar Oscar for young people.<\/p>\n
Why don't you focus on just one line?<\/p>\n
If we can do five, why should we do just one? What should I do
\nwith the energy that could be used to do the others? As an
\nidealist, I prefer those with the touch of culture, but the
\nreality is different. Indonesian people prefer something which is
\nglamorous; the elite circle prefers Western things, so I have to
\nadjust to the tastes of the market. That's why I have several
\nlines. So, besides being idealist, I also sell my services,
\ntranslating the wishes of the people into making my clothes. To
\nserve companies, I have to understand their brand image, the
\ntarget, the customers; who they are, and on what level -- whether
\nthey are trendy. For me, this is a different challenge, and why
\nnot?<\/p>\n
Why did you get interested in fashion in the first place?<\/p>\n
I am interested in the arts. Graduating from high school in
\n1996, I wanted to study fine art, but I didn't know what to study
\n-- painting, sculpture, interior design, photography or fashion.
\nI enrolled at the Bandung Institute of Technology but was not
\naccepted. I wanted to study abroad but my mother didn't have
\nenough money so I ended up studying at Esmod. I took a three-year
\nprogram, but after a year and a-half, during the economic crisis,
\nI quit because my mother could not afford the school fees and the
\nschool turned down my request for a scholarship. After I quit, I
\nopened my own boutique.<\/p>\n
After eight years in the business, what have you learned?<\/p>\n
Frankly speaking, it was beyond my imagination. I thought, as
\na designer, after making the design, buying the material and
\nhaving it sewn, the work was over. But the burden is not in that
\n(process); a designer should be good at management. I also have
\nto be directly involved in the marketing, in the finance, all of
\nthese calculation systems which I had never thought of before.<\/p>\n
Every designer has his or her special characteristics. What
\nabout you?<\/p>\n
I prefer (designs) with cultural themes, especially Asian
\nones. I like to explore this, the Indonesian culture, our own
\ncultural potency.<\/p>\n
When you were a child, what did you want to become?<\/p>\n
Many children wanted to become a pilots or doctors, but I
\nwanted to become a farmer, something which was simple, which was
\nclose to nature, with not-so-high technology, which was more
\nhuman, more down-to-earth.<\/p>\n
Do you still want to be a farmer?<\/p>\n
No, but in my old days, I liked to live in such an environment
\nwhich was quiet and had a familial atmosphere.<\/p>\n
What do you foresee yourself doing say in 20 or 30 years from
\nnow?<\/p>\n
After working for years, and interacting with the workers, I
\nfind that making clothes, especially handmade ones, needs
\ntogetherness, there is the one who sews, the one who makes the
\nembroidery, the one who beads, there is emotion in the clothes,
\nthey have a soul.<\/p>\n
This is different from those you buy at a department store,
\nthe ready-to-wear kind. What I mean is I still want to be able to
\nwork with them, to provide jobs for many people. That's what I
\nwant, not something more about myself like getting married or
\nhaving a spouse who is like this or like that. I want to
\ncontribute more to society, to inspire people.<\/p>\n
Talking about marriage and spouse, has anyone asked you to get
\nmarried?<\/p>\n
Not really. For me, a spouse would be like a bonus (he laughs)
\nin the sense that actually we live by ourselves. If we have a
\nspouse, we should not be egotistical. First, we should love
\nourselves, we should know ourselves, our talents, all about us.
\nAfter we know what kind of a person we are, then we can
\ncollaborate with other people. Otherwise, we will have a big
\nheadache, and get tired. If there is someone who wants to be
\nclose to me, I want to make friends first, not a serious
\nrelationship. I want to concentrate more on myself and on my
\nwork. After being friends for 10 or 20 years, if we get along
\nwell, let's go ahead.<\/p>\n
People might wonder who would be your best spouse, a man or a
\nwoman?<\/p>\n
A: I don't want to say that I am gay. Why not? It's not
\nbecause I am ashamed or a hypocrite. Why should I be ashamed?
\nEven when I walk down the street, people always look at me.
\nPeople like me might be different. Other people declare that they
\nare gay, but not me. I am still keeping my mind open, and I don't
\nwant to say that I am heterosexual either. In building a
\nrelationship, we talk about something personal, not about a man
\nor a woman. If I get along with a woman, why not? But if I get
\nalong more with a man, then again, why not? It's we who live our
\nlives, not other people. They only talk about us, but we live our
\nlives from the time we open our eyes until we go to bed.<\/p>\n
Many people must frown upon your ideas, your way of life. Have
\nyou ever experienced discrimination or rejection<\/p>\n
I have been regarded as a weird person. Since I was a kid, I
\nhave been treated like that by people in my environment, my
\nfamily. They said: You are a man, why are you so feminine? So
\nbeautiful? They look down at me but they have never confronted
\nme. And I think this is just normal because people like me,
\nwherever we are in this part of the world, we will remain
\neccentric, different, and it's hard to change it.<\/p>\n
Are you depressed?<\/p>\n
No, because I know myself, I am honest with myself, and I know
\nwhat I want.<\/p>\n
How about your Mom?<\/p>\n
People say Oscar should be thankful to have a mother like her.
\nI am thankful because my Mom is open minded, but things are not
\nthat easy. Well, she was like other mothers ... When I was in
\nhigh school, she often told me to walk more firmly, to join a
\nkarate class, to have hormone injections. I was sometimes hurt.
\nFor instance, at a wedding reception, Mom would introduce my
\nbrother to her friends, but ignored me, unless they were aware of
\nmy presence.<\/p>\n
As time passed, I told myself, this is my own life, I didn't
\nask to be born, I didn't blame Mom, this is my life, I am like
\nthis, so like it or not I should live my life, and I was ready to
\nrisk any consequence if Mom rejected me; I was ready to fight. If
\nI wanted to find fault, I could blame my parents, but I didn't.
\nThis was the reality, and I was ready if Mom drove me out of the
\nhouse or disowned me.<\/p>\n
It seems that you are quite strong.<\/p>\n
I am quite close with God. This doesn't mean that every Sunday
\nI go to the church, but it is deep in my heart.<\/p>\n
It was reported that you did quite well at school and always
\nwere a top-ten student?<\/p>\n
Well, I guess I didn't do badly. I could easily comprehend
\nwhat the teacher said.<\/p>\n
Was it true that you fought with your teachers several times?<\/p>\n
Mom told me, "If you are right, fight for it, but if you are
\nwrong, apologize." Whoever the person is, including my teachers,
\nif they kept on harassing me, I would fight them.<\/p>\n
So, being feminine does not mean that you are weak.<\/p>\n
No, people regard feminity as something abnormal, a defect.
\nBut if we are willing to explore it, it is actually a gift, like
\na sixth sense, you can see what other people can't. (Feminine
\npeople) have different minds, different feelings, different body
\nlanguage. This should be regarded as strength, because we can
\nfeel both the masculine and feminine sides while other people
\ncan't. A woman can only think as a woman, and a man will never be
\nable to feel the way a woman feels, no matter how hard he tries.
\nBut people like us can think and feel both in the men's and
\nwomen's world.<\/p>\n
Have you ever felt like a woman trapped in a man's body?<\/p>\n
No, the way I see it: I am half man, half woman. Not a man
\nwith a soul of a woman.<\/p>\n
Have you ever got any idea about having a sex-change
\noperation?<\/p>\n
No. I don't want to dress as a woman. Well I want to be
\nbeautiful, but I don't want to wear a dress, a wig, earrings, I
\nlike wearing pants like a man and a blouse for the top. I wear
\neye liner, but I am still a man. There is no way you would see me
\nin a dress and it is impossible for me to wear a suit with a tie,
\neither.<\/p>\n
You are indeed beautiful. What beauty treatments do you use?<\/p>\n
I don't have any special body treatment, but I pay a lot of
\nattention to my hair. I often blow dry my hair, which is
\noriginally curly. I don't like dieting and it happens that my
\nbody metabolism is quite good. To maintain the freshness of the
\nskin of my face, I drink a lot of water after I get up and before
\ngoing to bed. And it is also necessary to have a peaceful mind.
\nOtherwise, you will have acne on the face. I also like
\nmeditation, it's a good way to ease your mind.<\/p>\n
What things disturb your mind a lot?<\/p>\n
I find it hard to manage (the business) because I am not a
\nbusinessman. I am an artist who runs his own business, so like it
\nor not I have to manage it.<\/p>\n
What inspires your work?<\/p>\n
I get ideas from a lot of things, not just from a single thing
\nlike a painting or a certain era. This has much to do with the
\ndevelopment of this modern age, with films, with music, with the
\ncharacters of people, with their thinking patterns. All this
\nblends into one thing.<\/p>\n
Where do you get the material for your clothes?<\/p>\n
Some material is bought here, but sometimes I buy it in India,
\nChina or Thailand.<\/p>\n
What do you think of today's trends?<\/p>\n
In the 2000s, the trend has become more personal, you can't
\nsay that it is gypsy, futuristic, ethnic. In the 1970s, everyone
\nwore bell-bottom pants, but now, there is so many kinds, some are
\nshort, some long, some have holes, some tight, some loose, and
\nall are good. People now are more individual, more independent;
\nthey have more guts about the way they dress. This is good for
\nthe fashion world even though (too much) individualism is not
\nreally good for society.<\/p>\n
You use animal furs and leather in some of your collections.
\nWhat would you do if animal rights activists protested you?<\/p>\n
When I bought it, the animal was already dead. But if there
\nwas a protest, of course, I would think twice.<\/p>\n
What's the most important thing in your life?<\/p>\n
To explore my self, to get our powers, people can feel our
\npresence and we can help them.<\/p>\n
What's the hardest thing in your life?<\/p>\n
Actually my life is hard, but I make it easier with positive
\nthinking. If we accept ourselves, explore our potency, we will
\nfind it easier to accept difficult realities. I am quite thankful
\nthat I started from zero, that my family was poor. Mom, as a
\nsingle parent, scratched out a living. She used to sell gado-gado
\nand cendol at a stall. When I was a kid, I went to school by bus
\nand when I saw my friends buying ketoprak (traditional food) at
\nschool, I often drooled because I couldn't afford it.<\/p>\n
I have been through all of those difficult times, so I never
\nworry about what to do if I go bankrupt.<\/p>\n
The writer can be contacted at tabita@cbn.net.id<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp4oscar-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }