Bali designers set the fashion trends

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.