BIN house cloth presentation: From heart and hands come excellence
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The recent cloth presentation from designer Obin (she prefers to be called cloth vendor, though) was wrapped in a way that it became a feast for the eyes, the heart and, yes, the stomach.
Instead of a regular fashion show, where models move along the catwalk and pose, hundreds of cloths and clothing were exhibited in a fusion of music, dance and song, accompanied by a grand stage set.
It was all aimed at celebrating the beauty of cloth. Mesmerizing pieces of textile came in splashes of colors, with a rich variety of motifs and textures, derived from traditional sources.
Titled, Through the Eyes, From the Heart ... I Do, the event was also aimed at paying respects to the craftsmanship that has produced such beautiful fabrics.
The celebration started the second you entered the lobby of the Jakarta Convention Center in Central Jakarta last Monday. The lobby almost dark, with only several two-meter-high tubular lamps dimly lighting the room.
The lampshades were white batik with white floral motifs, which could also be found all over the place, either hung or spread on the floor.
Women in red kebaya (traditional Indonesian blouses) and matching batik cloth then ushered the guests to another room, a perfectly lit one where supper was served as a buffet.
All of the food was traditional: bacang, soto, ketupat sayur, es lilin, jajanan pasar and so on. Accompanied by Sundanese gamelan in the background, the ambience was totally relaxing and satisfying.
And then the show began at the Plenary Hall where, again, hundreds of meters of cloth wrapped the area. Apparently, it took no less than 6,000 meters of cloth -- for the lampshades, the interior and later, the stage backdrop.
Obin -- full name Josephine Werratie Komara -- showed up on stage, thanking the audience, some of whom had come from overseas.
"Before we start, I'd like to introduce a friend of mine, a famous pop star from Bali. His name is Widhi Widiana and he will recite a mantra. So, let's all just pray, for the tragedy in Bali, for the nation. I hope we can be healed soon," said the 47- year-old designer.
Known as a master of batik and other indigenous textiles, Obin has worked with traditional cloth since 1975. Along with her team at BIN house, she has since successfully turned long-established batik -- as well as traditional weaving, embroidering, stitch- dyeing and other techniques -- into contemporary fashion items.
Her boutiques can not only be found in the capital and Bali, but also in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Netherlands.
The recent event here had been on her agenda since early this year, but the venue was only available on Oct. 28, which was also National Youth Pledge Day.
Although the timing was coincidental, Obin said it suited her intention to ask people to struggle from a difficult situation.
"Let's not complain and blame each other. Let's do something. As I make clothes, I want to ask everyone to enjoy them," she said prior to the show.
The show started when three dancers moved around the stage, playing with a 60-meter red cloth.
Afterwards, dozens of models appeared, dancing dynamically or swaying slowly, depending on the theme. The backdrop changed six times to suit the setting: morning and afternoon and the four seasons of the year. The last backdrop was similar to the lampshades, with a silhouette of life-sized women printed on it.
In between, singer Ubiet performed on a conveyor belt that oscillated from left to right, and dancers performed.
But the main attraction, of course, was the cloth.
Obin and her team, including fashion designer Wita and some 2,500 artisans, presented some new techniques, such as cloth with ikat weavings with bright colors on one side and a classical batik pattern, lereng, on the other. And there was woven cloth that was ripped to produce a feather effect.
Although all of them were derived from traditional cloth, many were made into items of clothing that most of us would never previously have imagined traditional cloth could become.
Beside good ol' kebaya and cheongsam (traditional Chinese top), Wita used the cloth with stonewashed jeans combined with batik, long coats, skirts, poncho blouses, bustiers, and so on.
They were all are rich in detail and textures and could not have been less trendy. Coming in a wide spectrum of colors, you couldn't help but feel pretty just looking at them.
At the end, Obin succeeded in asking the audience to cherish a treasure that we all inherit but many times take so much for granted: Traditional cloth.