Fashion shows step out on cafe circuit

Fashion shows step out on cafe circuit

By Agni Amorita

JAKARTA (JP): A fashion show is no longer an exclusive event
for Jakarta's fashion society. Fashion designers used to present
their latest creations at a gala dinner in a five star hotel
ballroom with selected VIP guests. Thanks to the increasing
fashion consciousness of Jakartans, fashion shows now are a form
of regular entertainment held in a variety of places, from hotels
bars to street cafes. You can catch shows both on weekdays and
weekends. No invitation is needed, not even a special cover
charge.

Fashion Cafe Jakarta is the pioneer of this phenomenon. Since
its opening in November 1996, it has been scheduling a regular
monthly -- now weekly -- fashion show.

"With a fashion show, the number of our customers rises by
about 30 percent to 40 percent. When we feature the creations of
famous designers, we see an even higher increase," said Hotma
Tobing, marketing manager of Fashion Cafe Jakarta, which can
accommodate 1,000 guests.

Every month Hotma Tobing prepares one big fashion show and
three others of a smaller scale. "With an average Rp 25 million
to Rp 30 million budget for one big show, I have to be very
careful in deciding the theme. For example, last month we
presented Didi Budihardjo with a majesty theme, so we changed
almost all of the room's decoration. We erected a gapura
(Javanese entrance) on the stage, which was covered by a
traditional carpet, and then built a pool which was full of fish
in the center of it," said Tobing, who runs the show every Friday
night.

The items to be presented in the show are no less important.
In fact, "our main concerns about the show is that it presents
the designer's latest collections," he said.

Another care, Cafe Kencana -- located in Menara Rajawali,
Kuningan, South Jakarta -- puts emphasis on the models in the
fashion show instead of the fashion designers or their
collections.

"Cafes are now turning into an entertainment business, not
just a traditional cuisine business," said Endang Wahidin, the
restaurant manager. His stance explains why his cafe always
features beautiful, young and popular models in its monthly
fashion shows.

"I came to the conclusion that a fashion show is not enough to
grab new customers, so I combined it with live music and dance,"
said Wahidin.

He said that the number of visitors could double every time he
organized a fashion event in his restaurant. "But the music event
can attract a higher number of guests. When I get a famous singer
such as Kris Dayanti or the Gigi band I can have many more
guests."

Tigapuluh Music Bar, at the Le Meridien Hotel, South Jakarta,
also provides music and fashion shows. "Our guests are 30-
something; most of them are mature people who need a positive
meeting place, so we built our Music Bar as a cozy place with
easy listening jazz or R&B music, plus an interesting fashion
show," explained Aprilisa Madewa, the PR manager at the Le
Meridien Hotel.

Tigapuluh Music Bar presents every Wednesday the creations of
local designers featured by four senior models and four newcomers
in a semi-dancing choreographed fashion show.

"Sometimes I also select the collections before the show,
because I have to make sure that the outfits shown here are sexy
but still decent," Madewa said, adding that such shows also
increase guest numbers by 100 percent.

At Plaza Indonesia, fashion shows are organized at the La Moda
cafe and at C21 Boutique Cafe.

C21 Boutique Cafe is owned by Kelab Duasatu Nusantara,
a local importer of famous brand names such as Calvin Klein,
Donna Karan and Giorgio Armani. It has two C21 Boutique Cafes
located near their popular boutiques in Plaza Senayan and Plaza
Indonesia, Jakarta. At their cafes they introduce their latest
collections from abroad.

"We present not only our brand name boutique collections, but
also those of local designers. It just depends on each fashion
show's theme," said Astrid Soeleman, the advertising & promotion
executive of C21 Boutique Cafe. For example, last month, in the
Independence Day theme fashion show, they presented four local
designers: Widhi Budimulia, Didi Budhihardjo, Oscar Lawalata and
Syahreza Muslim.

From the designers' point of view, the increasing popularity
of the cafe fashion shows has to be seen as a marketing
opportunity.

"With comprehensive preparation -- from knowing the cafe, its
audience, their interests, the latest trends which are suitable
for them, to the seat formation -- we can launch a good
promotion," said fashion designer Sebastian A. Gunawan. He always
participates in every detail of his promotions, including
bargaining with the cafe's management to ensure his show was
presented in theater-style seating, to ensuring that 75 percent
of the invitations are sent to loyal customers.

"We have to be more careful in the preparation, because a
cafe's capacity is very limited," he said.