Accessory a winner for Indonesian fashion designer

Accessory a winner for Indonesian fashion designer

By Kunang Helmi-Picard

PARIS (JP): Fashion connoisseurs still head straight for
Paris. Here they can admire the elegant flair of superbly cut
garments, completed with the ultimate in accessories. No wonder
that Paris, with its wealth of fashion know-how, has long been
the dream destination for those aspiring to become fashion
designers.

For young Jakarta student Rusly Tjohnardi, the dream came true
when he won the Grand Prix for the best accessory in the Concours
International des Jeunes Createurs de Bijoux on Dec. 14. The
student of the Collezione Fashion School, who was not able to
attend the actual competition, won a plane ticket and Rp 20
million with his extraordinary golden wig sparkling with sequins.

Tjohnardi's striking creation, "Birth of Aphrodite", impressed
the jury at the Caroussel du Louvre in Paris that included top
French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. Tjohnardi
won the Grand Prix competing against fellow students from seven
countries, including Indonesia. Dwi Sutarjantono of Dewi magazine
accepted the prize in Tjohnardi's name.

The International Young Fashion Designers Competition,
sponsored by Air France, has been held 18 times since its
inception in 1983. The Federation Francaise de la Couture, du
Pret-a-Porter des Couturiers et des Createurs de Mode and its
fashion school have also helped to organize the contest since its
beginnings. This year Europe was represented by France, Italy and
Russia; North America by Canada and the United States; South
America by Argentina, Colombia and Peru, while China, Korea,
Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines represented Asia.

Since 1991 top Indonesian life-style magazine Dewi, fueled by
the enthusiasm of renowned Indonesian fashion expert Pia
Alisjahbana, has helped organize the competition to choose the
best young fashion and accessory designers from Indonesia.

"In its nine years of participation in this international
competition, Indonesia has already won the Grand Prix twice,"
Alisjahbana, a member of the international jury, said. "The first
time in 1996, it was the for the best garment and this year it is
for the best accessory.

"By winning this prize Indonesia's international reputation in
creative fashion has been greatly enhanced."

About 200 fashion students from 15 fashion schools in
Indonesia participated in the preliminary competition in the
preliminary competition. They were asked to send in sketches of
garments and accessories. Of these, 40 were chosen and requested
to produce the garments and accessories they visualized.

This year students were asked to pay special attention to the
use of unusual materials in the creation of their designs. Ten
students in each section, garment and accessory, were then chosen
to send their creations to Paris.

After the Grand Prix for the best accessory was chosen in
Paris, 13 countries participated in the competition to choose the
best garment.

Indonesia was represented by 10 students, with Henny Althert
from the Bunka-Jakarta fashion school earning a special mention
in the Concours International des Jeunes Creators de Mode with
her work "World of Circle".

Althert's futuristic dress, made of pale blue plastic bottle
tops, pleased the jury and the public alike in its elegant
inventiveness.

Indeed, inventiveness and creativity in dealing with a limited
choice of materials may be the key to further success in the
highly competitive world of fashion for the talented students.
Another essential element of succeeding is hard work and
attention to detail. What appears to be ethereal and effortless
chic here in Paris is always the product of dedication and hard
work, coupled with an overall vision of what the finished product
should be like.

"Talent alone is not enough," said soft-spoken Samudra
Hartanto, a young Indonesian fashion designer who is an assistant
to Marc Jacobs of Louis Vuitton in Paris.

"Behind the scenes we work overtime almost all the year around
preparing the collections. It is exhilarating, but also
incredibly exacting to attend to all the important details,
starting from the conception down to every single detail of
production, including exhaustive quality control."