Stephanus Hamy looks to the East for inspiration<\/p>\n
Asniar Sahab, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
In his 16 years in fashion, Stephanus Hamy has made
\nconsistency his tradmark, particularly pleats, which are lovingly
\nincorporated into his designs.<\/p>\n
Stephanus has spent over 13 years developing the pleat
\ntechnique, the application of which came from observing other
\ndesigners and then making it his own. He was still, however,
\nsecond in the public's hearts, as other designers were superior
\nto him in their creativity and also their financial capability.<\/p>\n
He also never went solo in launching his designs, always
\nchoosing instead to be part of joint fashion trend exhibitions
\nor, occasionally, designing for theater performances or magazine
\nshoots. Like fellow designer Samuel Wattimena, Stephanus
\nunderstands that promotion of his works does not have to be done
\nthrough fashion shows alone.<\/p>\n
Still, last week he gave in, sort of. He held his debut solo
\nshow, not to cause any ripples in the fashion community but to
\ndedicate it to his loyal clients, buyers and the press. His show,
\npresenting 70 designs for 2002, took a relatively short three
\nmonths to prepare, from the design process to setting up the show
\nat Hotel Sari Pan Pacific in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Based on the concept of freedom to express oneself, Stephanus
\ntried to blend various cultural elements of different Asian
\nlands, such as India, China, Korea, Japan and Indonesia. He
\ncombined them in a composition of world fashion trends, such as
\nthe kebaya (Indonesian traditional blouse), the Chinese
\ncheongsam, and the sarong and tunic, which were all presented in
\nmodern styles.<\/p>\n
Indeed, asymmetric and straight silhouettes have become the
\nstrength of Stephanus' designs over the years. Intentionally, he
\ndid not bundle the whole idea of the cultural elements into his
\ndesigns, but accentuated their essence in every line of his
\ncreations.<\/p>\n
His fashion show this time gave the impression of highlighting
\nthe kimono, the Japanese traditional dress, over the other pieces
\nof clothing. He did however, seem more creative in applying the
\npleats for his designs, such as making them in soft fabrics like
\nchiffon, silk and organdy. It did not mean that he applied pleats
\nin all his design collections, as lace materials with checkered
\nand polka-dot motifs were also used.<\/p>\n
This time, Stephanus used minimalist materials but the pieces
\nexuded a simple but feminine nuance. Sequins, beads, crystal and
\nembroidery were found throughout his collection. The fashion
\ntrend in 2002, according to Stephanus, shows a growing tendency
\ntoward the eastern style, just like the theme of his designs this
\ntime.<\/p>\n
The pleats, as Stephanus' specialty, were this time expressed
\nin the embellishment of striking colors like red, green, orange,
\nblue, black and white so that all his pieces looked cosmopolitan
\nbut slightly contemporary.<\/p>\n
His pieces, in terms of wearability and selling value, will be
\naccepted by the fashion public. Unfortunately, the models' heavy
\nmakeup and staid hairdos gave them a tired appearance in
\npresenting the creations. The hairdos in particular, swept back
\nand tied in buns, went against Stephanus' cosmopolitan designs,
\nsimply looking old-fashioned.<\/p>\n
It would have worked better for the models to have worn light
\nmakeup and simple hairdos to really show off the beautiful
\nclothes they were wearing. Something to think about for
\nStephanus' second show, perhaps.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/stephanus-hamy-looks-to-the-east-for-inspiration-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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