Bali Fashion Week: Standouts despite the no-shows

Bali Fashion Week: Standouts despite the no-shows

Rita Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Jimbaran, Bali

It has been a very busy month for Bali, as the host of numerous
local and international gatherings, from the 9th Southeast Asian
Nation (ASEAN) Summit to last week's brief stopover of U.S.
President George W. Bush.

More importantly, the island also observed the first
commemoration of the Oct. 12, 2002 bombing, in a ceremony
attended by Australian Prime Minister John Howard and families of
the 202 victims who died during the blasts at Sari Club and
Paddy's.

Despite the hectic schedule, Mardiana Ika, the initiator of
Bali Fashion Week (BFW), insisted on holding the three-day
fashion event on the theme "From Heritage to Legacy" at Bali
Intercontinental Hotel in Jimbaran in the middle of the month.

She hoped to attract local fashion players and foreign buyers
as part of her efforts to promote Indonesian fashion worldwide.

"Oct. 12 last year was a very special date to me that changed
my life and the lives of so many people in Bali and other
countries, like Australia and the United States," Ika told The
Jakarta Post prior to the event.

Since its debut in 2000, the fashion week has been held in
May, the peak holiday season, but this year was moved to coincide
with the Oct. 12 commemoration. That may have had something to do
with the drop from around 80 exhibitors last year to 68 booths
this time around.

Foreign buyers may have skipped the event due to fears about
the security situation on the island and in the country, but they
also plan their schedule a year ahead, and a change in dates is
sure to clash with other plans.

As Ika has said on numerous occasions, the Bali Fashion Week
intends to bring together Indonesian-related fashion players --
including textile and garment industries, fashion designers,
cosmetic and jewelry producers -- to show their latest
collections and network with potential buyers, both domestic and
foreign.

"We want to establish a strong platform for the Indonesian
fashion industry to get a foothold in the international fashion
arena, and this event provides those involved in the industry
with facilities and the means to promote their products," she
said.

This good intention deserves everybody's attention, especially
from the government which relies heavily on the textile-garment
industry to make up the shortfall from declining non-oil exports.

Of course, the media plays a vital role in getting the word
out about local fashion. This year's event, however, drew only a
small number of journalists, with the rest burdened by covering
so many events at one time. Again, it was a matter of timing, and
something the organizers must think about for future events.

Still, a number of designers from Jakarta, Bali, Yogyakarta,
Semarang, Surabaya and Makassar came to present what proved to be
outstanding fashion collections, mostly using traditional fabrics
and locally modified design styles to leave their own striking
mark on the local industry.

Standouts included Taruna Kusmayadi, who smartly combined
modern and traditional designs using a local sarong motif from
Majalaya near Bandung, West Java. Other designers such as Etty
Bachetta and Denny Khosuma also made use of local fabrics like
batik from Yogyakarta and sarong fabric from Samarinda, East
Kalimantan. The works of Kiata Kianda, Dina Midiani, Yunita
Kosasih and others were highlights of the shows, held every night
during the three-day event.

Senior designer Poppy Dharsono also appeared with lurik,
traditional Javanese woven cloth.

Poppy, former chairwoman of the Indonesian Association of
Fashion Designers and Businesspeople (APPMI) and currently chief
of the Indonesian Association for Garment and Textile Producers,
told the Post during the recent Southeast Asian (ASEAN) Business
and Investment Summit in Nusa Dua that the Indonesian fashion and
textile industry was on the brink of bankruptcy due to
competition in the global fashion and textile business.

"What is more important is the lack of government support and
strong political will in encouraging the local textile and
garment industry, as well as Indonesian fashion designers," she
said.

The fashion industry, she said, required collaboration among
many sectors, such as designers, textile and garment producers,
the government, in securing buyers in domestic and foreign
markets.

"The Indonesian fashion industry is now facing the influx of
illegal textile and imported fashion products from overseas, sold
in Indonesia at very low prices," she said.

"The rapid growth of factory outlets in almost every corner of
Indonesian cities has contributed to the decline of local textile
and garment producers.

The problems are exacerbated by labor and export-import
policies which leave Indonesian fashion products unable to
compete with those from China, India, Vietnam, Mexico and even
Bangladesh, Poppy said.

The annual fashion week and other expos are important, she
said, but follow-up was essential to make sure the products were
salable and suited the demands of the international market. She
urged the government to revise the current policies regarding
fashion and textile industry.

"Otherwise, fashion activities will only remain as festive
arenas for the designers, while our fashion products are still
unheard of and unnoticed on international fashion stages and in
fashion markets," Poppy said.