Designer Musa's future all sewn up

Designer Musa's future all sewn up

By Agni Amorita

JAKARTA (JP): When the young Musa Widyatmodjo determinedly set
out on his career as a fashion designer nothing could dissuade
him. The 34-year-old bachelor has been working as a professional
designer for almost a decade now, and half of that time was spent
searching for a business identity.

Before approaching his market with elegant, light and very
wearable creations that have become his trademark, Musa had
several failures.

"It was when I suffered financial losses for almost a whole
year," Musa Widyatmodjo recalls of his first years in the
business. "Things got worse because it seemed that I was so alone
in dealing with it. Fashion was definitely something my family
and friends were not familiar with."

Instead of reconsidering his career as a fashion entrepreneur,
however, Musa sought technical help from various quarters,
including enrolling in several home industry courses and joining
a local fashion association to gain ground for his fragile
business.

Today, not only is Musa able to experience his dream career,
but he is now an established designer and was chosen to lead the
popular Indonesian Fashion Designers Association (APPMI). Late
last year he took over the position from seasoned designer Poppy
Dharsono. Musa said he was very surprised when some fashion
colleagues nominated him to replace Poppy, who had held the
powerful position since APPMI's establishment in 1993.

"I have a strong commitment to APPMI, but I am also known as a
hard person to deal with in business. So I just laughed at this
idea," he recalled. Musa's apparent reluctance to take the helm
was reflected in his campaign speech on APPMI's electoral day.

"I tried hard to make a horrible speech in the campaigning
hours, including a threat that I would be very tough in leading
APPMI elected. I explained to them that for me APPMI was like a
used car I had to drive to another town as fast as possible. So
before the trip I would prepare the vehicle by repairing any
faults that I could find, even replacing and totally removing
some broken parts if necessary," he remembered.

Fortunately, the almost 100 college-graduated designers were
not intimidated by his threat and elected him chairman of APPMI
for a three-year term. "I have to say that it is an honor for
me," he said in his workshop in Kemanggisan district, West
Jakarta, last Wednesday.

During the fashion business' peak season comprising Ramadhan,
Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year, he had to work quite
hard to meet the extra demand. He successfully got through the
tiring time, and the intense pressure is not apparent in his
muscular appearance. This 185-cm tall designer doesn't even want
to take a break after such a tight schedule. In his Balinese-
inspired study, Musa, who has just created his newest feminine
collection, is working on his programs for APPMI plus a promise
for better cooperation with a "rival" fashion group, the
Indonesian Fashion Designers Council (IPMI).

Born in Jakarta in November 1965, Musa was raised to be an
economist like his father. "It got worse because when I finished
high school in 1984, Indonesia was swept by an MBA mania," he
said. Instead of working toward earning an MBA degree in
Philadelphia where he was sent to select an institution of higher
education to attend, young Musa was fascinated with American mega
bookstores which introduced him to art and fashion. "I explained
to my father that I wanted to work in a field that I liked the
most and would not regret if I never got rich in it, instead of
being rich from working in a place that didn't interest me at
all," he said.

Musa then went to Drexel University and was the only
Indonesian student who majored in fashion design. Although he
initially didn't gain support from his parents, Musa worked well
on campus. He won many awards from Philadelphia, including the
Henry Callahan Award 1987 for Best Evening Wear Design, Letters
of Commendation 1988 and 1989, the Callahan Achievement Award
1989 of Design Excellence, a Letter of Recognition 1988 and Siby
Markel Brasler Award 1987 for Academic and Design Excellence.
Musa was also chosen as finalist for American Concours Des
Jeuneus De Mode 1987, the same year he became a semifinalist for
American Leather Design.

With their teenage son establishing an identity in fashion,
Musa's parents later became his number one supporters. They sent
him plenty of fashion news from home, including entry to the
prestigious Indonesia Fashion Design Contest 1990. Musa entered
the competition and became a finalist. This was the beginning of
Musa's career as a professional designer at home. Starting from a
big zero, Musa designed, sewed and finished his first creation by
himself.

"I had nothing except my mother's sewing machine because there
was no money left to start this business after the cost of my
overseas school fees," he pointed to his first creation, a
birthday gown for a friend's niece.

Three months later Musa hired one assistant to help him get
through his risky first years. After facing the ups and downs of
business, Musa got stronger and gained confidence with his
career. Today he employs more than 50 people.

His concept of beauty is carefully geared toward the
Indonesian market -- meaning simple, feminine, far from
provocative, and elegantly tailored. His creations sell for
between Rp 300,000 and Rp 600,000 per piece. Having two labels --
Musa for his first line and My Badjoe for a more mass produced
line, the launching of which was postponed after the monetary
crisis -- Musa supplies four outlets in Metro Pondok Indah and
Plaza Senayan, Pasaraya Blok M and Sarinah Department Store,
Jakarta.

"Fashion has expenses," he said. "For fashion designers, it
means that we have to really work professionally and never stop
growing because we are not just artists who design, but also
businesspeople who need to sell our work."