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.