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.