Bali designers set the fashion trends
Text by Rita A. Widiadana, photos by Murdani Usman
KUTA, Bali (JP): Fashion designers had their own way of celebrating the 56th anniversary of Indonesia's Independence Day, by showing off their aspiring new creations.
Held at the newly opened Discovery Kartika Plaza Hotel in crowded Kuta, some 10 km west of Denpasar, the show hosted as many as ten fashion designers grouped in the Moda Bali Association (Mobas). It also featured lavish works by two guest designers from Jakarta, Itang Yunasz and Oscar Lawalata.
The show on Friday night was opened by Bali Police chief I Wayan D. Arjana -- an interesting departure from the norm as he is not of the glittering fashion world. But what was more important was that most of the items on display delighted the eyes of local fashion buffs.
Young designer Anom opened the show with more than 18 pieces, aiming to capture both the young and older markets -- tailoring his creations to cater to their demands.
With the theme "Be Yourself", Anom explored classic fabric and silk in natural colors, such as maroon, brown, indigo, green and some psychedelic colors. Layered clothes blending two and three- color materials were his brand of fashion.
The stage's atmosphere suddenly changed when Nandie Anindarmo presented a number of models wearing traditional bridal gowns accompanied by ethnic coastal music as the backdrop.
Inspired by the intricate Madurese wedding ceremony, Nandie cleverly modified traditional and modern elements, playfully displaying fabulous creations moving from beach wear to nightgowns.
Nandie used batik with colorful and bold coastal patterns.
The youngest member of Mobas, Alfi Rahman, presented a series of collections taking "Denim Extreme" as its theme.
"Denim is still a global uniform for the youth. My target is young people," said Alfi.
His collections, for males and females, were fresh and inspiring. In one of his dynamic creations, Alfi beautifully printed flowery patterns on a denim jacket, which was worn by a female model.
"I like to see people looking so fresh by wearing suitable dresses for their age," said Alfi, a graduate of a London fashion college.
Born in Malang, East Java, Alfi has been living in Bali for more than 15 years. "The fashion business in Bali has been flourishing over the last five years," he said.
The thriving industry also lures many designers from Jakarta and other cities in the country to move to Bali. "It is very easy to do business in Bali," Alfi said.
The Italian husband-and-wife team of Luca and Valeria presented the "Cool Funky and Color Fur" mix.
"I like experimenting with various fabrics and colors," explained Valeria, a designer at Animale fashion house.
Dozens of other collections by Tina Gondokusumo, Ivan, Raphael J. Soeryo and Elice Seymour appeared alternately on the runway.
The presence of Itang Yunasz and Oscar Lawalata enriched the stage.
Itang presented sophisticated nightgowns mostly in black and red, while Oscar preferred pastels. Gracing the catwalk at the show was top model Tracy Trinita, the winner of the Elite Model Contest several years back, who wore Itang's lavish red backless nightgown.