Ethnic nuance dominates Fashion Trend 2002
It seems that designs with ethnic touches and contemporary styles will dominate the fashion industry next year.
It can obviously be seen in some clothes presented in the 2002 Fashion Trend program, which was organized by the Association of the Indonesian Fashion Designing Entrepreneurs (APPMI) at Alila Hotel, Jakarta recently.
Noted designers, such as Poppy Dharsono, Taruna K, Raizal Rais, Aan Ibrahim, Musa, Dina Midiani, Sofi and Agnes, blended ethnic elements into their pieces, which were displayed in the fashion show with "tropical and ethnic" as the theme.
Various ornaments also adorned the new designs to give a lively impact. Although many designers chose silk batik as clothing material, some picked up other fabrics like chiffon, silk and cotton.
Besides the accentuation of ethnic nuance, handmade designs were also displayed, like the ones presented by designer Dina Midiana.
"Although today is the era of industry, I prefer to present handmade works," Dina told The Jakarta Post.
Materials used by Dina are easily found in many clothing stores. The batik materials in her works are connected with one another like patches of material with lace to produce a new shape. She worked on it to enable other people to pick up their own clothing styles with their character being accentuated.
Taruna, a star in the country's fashion world, accentuated unconventional elements in his newest works.
Taruna said that he was inspired by pieces made by foreign designers, which laid the stress on contemporary elements.
Foreign designers like Dior in Paris have highlighted their newest designs with unconventional elements, Taruna said.
Many of them break prevailing rules, for example, by combining jeans and loose blouses.
Motif selection seems no longer dominating as designers are using glossy plain fabrics. Line silhouettes still exist in the straight shape and remain unchanged in 2001. The beautiful shapes of female bodies are also still relied upon for prominence. It explains why many tight silhouettes with slightly striking lines have been around.
Whatever is presented by APPMI, it is the market itself that will eventually decide whether its designs are wearable or not. Whether or not the fashion public will accept them remains to be seen.
However, it is not easy to create a fashion trend within the timeframe of a year. There are many obstacles that have to be faced in terms of concept, cost or promotion so that designers' pieces will be widely accepted.
In spite of the prolonged economic crisis hitting the country, APPMI incessantly expresses its designers' creativity.
Last month, it actually intended to display its members' fashion collections in the Indonesian Fashion Week, a fashion program that would have been held as part of activities of the Asia Global Sourcing' 2001 Textiles and Apparel Conference and Exhibition.
Unfortunately the program was canceled following the airplane suicide attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York in early September.
Instead, APPMI members have presented the 2002 Fashion Trend, with its tropical and ethnic theme. --Asniar Sahab