Emir Keitta winner of Young Fashion Talent Contest 1994

Emir Keitta winner of Young Fashion Talent Contest 1994

By Kunang Helmi Picard

JAKARTA (JP): The fashion scene in Indonesia proved itself to
be alive and kicking with innovative creativity when the Femina
Group staged the 16th Young Fashion Talent Contest on Thursday.

Each of the 258 participants were required to show a minimum
of five everyday outfits together with three evening ensembles,
all harmonizing under one continual theme. As Femina Group
President Pia Alisjahbana succinctly put it in her opening
speech, "A fierce but healthy competition."

The ten finalists, Ahimsa, Susila Kristanto, Putra Lingga,
Robert Diapari, Emir Keitta, Liliana, Wiyani Damayanti, Aviatie
Agustina, Khelly Sugiarto and Francisca Klara Ana were given the
opportunity to show their creations to a packed fashion hungry
crowd at the Puri Agung ballroom in Hotel Sahid Jaya. A compact
photo exhibit at the entrance reminded visitors of the creations
of past winners, including Maarthi Djorghi and Itang Yunaz.

The jury consisting of Indonesian haute couture doyen Peter
Sie together with fashion experts Poppy Dharsono, Astari Rasyid,
Arthur Harland, Samuel Wattimena and Taruna was presided over by
Mirta Kartohadiprodjo. Jury member Samuel Wattimena, casually
dressed in a cream toned natural fiber outfit, was one of the
past winners of the Award who has been successful commercially.

Adding to the mounting suspense, Wattimena displayed
considerable talent as a comedian when he desperately searched
for the microphone before being able to announce the winners.

The contest was sponsored by Lippo, Texmaco and L'Oreal. Poppy
Dharsono provided the makeup which was applied by Sugi Salon who
also did the hairdos. Eva Air will fly the winning team to the
October Pret-a-Porter '95 show in Paris. The Grand Award
consisted of Rp 6 million and the flight to Paris, while the
second and third prize added Rp 3 million and Rp 1.5 million
respectively to the pockets of those who did not land the main
award.

Cosmopolitan Girl

Emir Keitta's short and snappy Cosmopolitan Girl fashion
inspired the crowd's noisy approval as the first leggy model
stalking down the catwalk on extremely high plateau shoes. Black
and white, highlighted by sharp lemon and discrete beige, colored
Keitta's fashion palette which included chiffon and satin silk. A
far more younger and daring look than other contestants, it
remains to be seen whether Jakarta beauties will dare to actually
wear the clothes on the busy streets outside their homes.

Braces were conspicuously evident, clasping shorts or
miniskirts, while suspenders artfully held up the trousers of a
black and white outfit sporting a sexy low-cut white lace bodice.

A padded mini-dress and a white frilly tutu decorated with
sequins almost brought the house down. Trousers were flared.
Backpacks abounded with the exception of a huge furry bag. Tight
jersey see-through bodysuits also screamed for attention,
competing with the loud, loud music. Berets completed some
outfits. The obligatory bride's outfit was short and ruffled
white with a long transparent train.

The spectators were visibly moved by Keitta's performance and
so were the judges who awarded him first place. The audience's
reaction pleased the young Jakarta designer outfitted in plain
black leather trousers contrasting with his more formal black
jacket and tie.

Young designers

The other two awards were won by young women designers.
Malang, East Java citizen Wiyani Damayanti's romantic and
historically angled collection in the Empire look formed a stark
contrast to Keitta's young brash look. Damayanti, who is in her
third year at the Parisian Esmond Academy, emphasized the high
waist line in gray and pink with a pale green print. The layered
look with puffed sleeves and smocked bodices and some bare
midriffs could only be called ladylike. Blue gray wigs adorned
the models who wore the ball dresses draped skillfully around
their bodies in soft colors and shiny fabrics.

Francisca Klara Ana from Temanggung produced a more
homogeneous look using pink, beige and orange prints melting into
each other with medallions of contrasting motifs. She was
inspired by Sulawesi silks and the Indian look. Feminine flowing
shapes pleased the onlookers, while fine pleats and white or
amber jewelry completed the line. The ball dresses were
particularly successful and elegant with swirling, full skirts
guaranteeing a festive atmosphere.

The jury awarded Putra Lingga from Surabaya Special Mention
for his "Rami it's Okay" collection. The Rami collection in
natural colors, off-white and light beige kept closely to its
main theme with holes piercing the material throughout the
garments, knapsacks highlighting the street wear with plenty of
waistcoats and high-soled casual shoes. The evening-wear,
although also fabricated in this rather heavy material, exuded a
thoroughly chic feeling with sequins and bold seams in
contrasting white, piped down the length of the long skirts with
equally long slits. The backs plunged to reveal the perfect skin
of the models including top star Wiwied.

Iman Ahimsa showed soft pastel highlights on his cream
creations with a witty contrast achieved by his pastel handbags
in pineapple fiber with slim bamboo handles. Susila Krisnanto
handled his collection with great panache using maritime motifs
in beige and blue contrasting with black and white touches.
Krisnanto's final model in pale ethereal blues sported a superb
"fish in a net" print, a gigantic shawl completed by long
fringes. Robert Diaparis's Hong Kong inspiration with sand beige
and saffron Thai silk or organdy off-set by black beading and
black piping was very impressive.

Liliana showed great talent with her double georgette, silk
and chiffon creations in stark contrasts of black, saffron and
burnt orange with clever details like striped underskirts peeping
out from under gracious black long dresses. Aviatie Agustina
proved to be a very suave designer with two toned beige and dusty
brown or burnt orange and beige body shorts or dark chocolate
long dresses decorated by flamboyant swirls of prada embroidery.
Khelly Slamet Sugiarto also impressed the audience with his
thorough treatment of the "gunungan" motif familiar to wayang
enthusiasts.

While the jury retired to choose the lucky winners, the
onlookers were asked to note down their favorite designer. Here
again Emir Keitta overwhelmingly won the hearts of the Jakarta
fashion buffs present.

Meanwhile the collections of established designers who were
all prize-winners at one stage of the history of the "Lomba
Perancang Mode" were shown to relieve the suspense. Musa and Tuty
Cholid garnered great applause with their handling of blue and
white, while Raizal Rais' treatment of black and white with red
roses was closely scrutinized. Adriyanto's very sophisticated
collection impressed the impatient crowd, before Poppy Dharsono's
classic collection in black and white contrasted with Agnes
Budhisurya's extremely bold stripes in the same colors.