Fashion show in prison? Why not
Fashion show in prison? Why not
By Sri Wahyuni
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Fashion shows are mostly held in prestigious
venues such as hotels or cafes. It is hard to imagine such
glamorous events being staged in a place like a prison.
Nevertheless, prisoners at Wirogunan prison in Yogyakarta may
well have been the first convicts to watch and take part in a
fashion show behind bars. On Tuesday, the prison hosted the show
to celebrate the country's 55th anniversary.
The original idea came from one of the inmates, designer
Dadang Koesdarto, who was jailed for a year because of a shabu-
shabu (crystal methamphetamine) conviction and who is due for
release on Sept. 9, 2000.
"Fortunately, the warden of Wirogunan prison, Martoto, also
wanted to change the prison's bad image but did not know how to
do so. He therefore gladly accepted my idea," said Dadang, a
native of Pasuruan in East Java, who is also the chairman of the
Yogyakarta's Association of Indonesian Designers (PAPMI).
Dadang invited two of his friends, designers Elkana Gunawan
from Semarang and Nita Azhar from Yogyakarta, to take part in the
show.
Eight professional female models from the local Ananta Kanapi
modeling agency were also invited to participate in the show,
while the male inmates acted as male models.
Prison nuances dominated Dadang's creations, which took The
Wirogunan Extravaganza as its theme.
In the first sequence, he exploited the color and fabric of
the prison uniform, that is to say blue cotton, for casual
outfits for both men and women.
In the second sequence, he presented four nightdresses that
were also rich with prison-inspired grays and stripes.
"I deliberately did so to remind myself that I've been here. I
hope I'll never make the same mistake again. I have had enough of
this," said Dadang, who has created some 120 designs during his
jail term and still stages fashion shows outside in cities such
as Semarang, Surakarta and Yogyakarta. Once he is released, he is
planning to stage a solo fashion show.
Visiting designers Elkana Gunawan and Nita Azhar each
presented 10 of their latest creations during the show. Elkana
took Ceria di Balik Terali (Cheerful Behind Bars) as a theme
while Nita preferred Seputih Melati Hati Napi (As White As The
Heart of a Prisoner).
Both designers said they joined the show simply because of
their friendship with Dadang. "We both did it for Dadang. We
don't feel embarrassed to take part in the show because of the
audience's warm welcome," said Nita.
'Male Model'
Watching the show, one could have been surprised by the extent
to which the "male models" had already mastered the art of
"strutting their stuff" on the catwalk even though the inmates
had only been given a few days to practice.
"I was surprised myself to find out that many of them are
quite talented," confessed Dadang, who plans to recruit some of
the inmates once they have been released.
The audience's response to the show was encouraging.
Long before the show started, the prisoners crowded into the
prison auditorium, where the show took place. Some of the
prisoners were even appointed as members of the organizing
committee, which was chaired by Fajar Pribadi -- a former village
head who was jailed on corruption charges.
The prison's 460 inmates responded enthusiastically to the
show which allowed them to forget about their daily routine for a
while even though they had to squat on the floor throughout the
event.
"Of course I'm happy. At this time, we're usually busy at our
cleaning jobs," said Syarif Hidayat, a prisoner who was also
convicted in a shabu-shabu case.
Apart from the fashion show, there was also a musical
performance, poetry reading and dancing. All of the activities
were fully managed and funded by the prisoners.
"We have donated nothing. Therefore, I sincerely hope that
this will be able to improve the bad image of prisons," Martoto
said in his opening speech.
He praised Dadang for his idea, saying that the show could be
the first ever held in a prison in Indonesia. "Probably even in
the world," he added.