Fashion Week to showcase top local designers
Fashion Week to showcase top local designers
Rita A. Widiadana, The Jakarta Post, Jimbaran, Bali
The fourth Bali Fashion Week from Oct. 13 through Oct. 15 will
again feature creations by the country's most prominent fashion
designers.
The annual fashion extravaganza, which was first staged in
2000, is expected to bring together hundreds of local designers
and textile and garment producers. Organizers hope the event will
attract buyers from all over the world.
The event's initiator, Bali-based designer Mardiana Ika, told
The Jakarta Post on Wednesday before leaving for Paris that she
had finally gained the trust of designers, producers, buyers and,
more importantly, the Indonesian government.
"I am very happy and enthusiastic that after four years of
hard work, every party involved in previous Bali Fashion Weeks
will benefit from this event," Ika said.
During last year's event, about 300 buyers from Asian
countries such as Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Korea as well as from
Australia, the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa
closed deals.
"The Bali Fashion Week 2002 proceeded with flying colors and
exhibitors and buyers were satisfied with the many orders
placed," Ika said.
The Bali Fashion Week has been firmly established as the only
fashion show to be covered by prestigious fashion media including
Fashion TV and numerous glossy fashion magazines.
"I am leaving for Paris to promote Bali Fashion Weeks to
foreign media and prospective buyers in France and neighboring
countries," Ika said.
Exhibitors from all over Indonesia will present their
Spring/Summer 2004 fashion items including garments, textiles
(mostly traditional, such as batik, ikat and sarongs). They will
also present other fashion-related merchandise such as silver and
gold jewelry, leather products such as shoes and handbags.
Since the government is lending a hand to help the organizer,
Ika said the event was more secure than in previous years.
"When I met Minister of Trade and Industry Rini Soewandi, she
said the event had the potential to attract the international
business community to Bali and other places in Indonesia," Ika
said.
Currently, the Bali Fashion Week is fully supported by the
Ministry of Industry and Trade, the National Agency for Export
Development, textiles and garments associations and the designers
association.
It is also supported by the hotel and restaurant industry in
Bali and other cities in Indonesia.
Keke Hidayat, public relations director for the Bali
Intercontinental Hotel, said the Bali Fashion Week deserved
strong support.
"We are providing a venue for the three-day event," Keke said.
Ika said she hoped the Bali Fashion Week would help the
international community realize that Bali is still doing very
well in terms of business and leisure.