House of Prajudi a regeneration success story
House of Prajudi a regeneration success story
By Agni Amorita
JAKARTA (JP): On a bright Friday morning on Aug. 21,
celebrities were seen having coffee along with ladies from
several embassies at a cafe in Pasaraya, Blok M, South Jakarta.
Melodious notes from a Balinese gamelan orchestra played behind
the stall of Indonesian handicrafts accompanying that morning's
program of '98 Bali Festival, featuring a fashion show of the
latest collection from Rumah Mode Prajudi, or the House of
Prajudi.
Thirty-eight sets of outfits were a harmonious blend between
the traditional and modern. Balinese elements in batik patterns
and ornaments presented the choice of first-class material from
satin silk to chiffon, worked into a batik piece in soft pastel
colors.
Balinese traditional motifs, such as that resembling the
squares on a chessboard, were modified with a handmade batik
technique on cotton. The blend of black and broken white showed
its cosmopolitan flair in simply cut three pieces: a tank top, a
bolero and a blazer with pallazo pants.
In another presentation, a sense of Indonesia was sufficiently
evinced in the sarong style adopted for a sleeveless gown with
the motif of twig flowers, so tiny they looked more like
ornaments.
The use of the modernized hibiscus motif and choice of trendy
textiles -- such as the combination of a silk sleeveless long
dress with a transparent chiffon coat -- made traditional chic
assume greater prominence than "oldie" accessories such as laced
shoes or batik shawls.
For instance, the collection of Balinese kebaya (traditional
blouse) colored in terra-cotta featured a lush Balinese
brassiere, while the selendang, or long cloth, was tied to the
waist as an artistic belt with a silver corsage.
Despite the fact Indonesia is in a severe crisis, there was no
shortage of demand for the collection, priced between Rp 500,000
and Rp 3 million a piece (roughly equal to one ton of medium-
quality rice).
"Our sales volume in rupiah has increased by 300 percent,"
said Ari Seputra, chief designer at Prajudi's Boutique.
This may be surprising to some considering that Ari, 36, is
the successor to Prajudi Atmodirjo, the founder of the boutique
who died three years ago.
Successful regeneration in haute couture in Indonesia is still
rare. When famed designer Arthur Harland died in 1995, for
example, his business folded.
Sister
In the global fashion world, there are famous examples of
others stepping into the shoes of established designers. The most
recent example is probably Gianni Versace's sister, Donnatella,
who soon after his death began steps to ensure the slain
designer's brand continued.
In the case of Prajudi, it is Lily Atmodirdjo, his sister-in-
law, who has taken over the boutique and brought it to the
present level of success.
"For two days I tried to persuad Prajudi to go to the
hospital," Lily said, remembering Prajudi's last moments. Because
of advanced pancreatic cancer, Prajudi was hospitalized only one
day, Dec. 7, 1995, before he died.
Since then, Lily has been doing her best to continue the
business of Prajudi, famed for his great love of batik.
She has the help of three fashion designers, two textile
designers and a managerial team. "Important decisions about the
choice of materials and market development are made by the
artistic and managerial divisions," added Ari. He comes out with
a new theme once every three months. Unity in creating a
cooperation system has brought good results.
"When we must get foreign consumers, for example, we find from
our research that the motifs popular among them are those which
are light and naive, and not those which are very 'primitive.'
Their favorite colors are also unique, ranging around blue, white
and brown," he said.
The proof is that 70 percent of the products under the
trademark of Garis Prajudi (Prajudi's Line), specially designated
for expatriates and foreign tourists, have gone to this market.
Although all components are imported -- from thread to textile
coloring stuffs -- Prajudi's boutique has found an opportunity
for expansion. "It's true that the profit margin is less now,
although in this case we have raised our prices by 20 percent to
30 percent. However, we won't sit idle," Ari said. He adding that
they imported silk from China and process it into batik in
Pekalongan, Central Java.
"At the moment we are experimenting on producing our own
women's cloth. The result is not as we expected yet but at least
we've started."
Another expansion plan is related to silver and leather crafts
for bags and shoes and household products. "As soon as the sales
of dresses are down, we have an emergency meeting to turn our
attention to products such as blankets and ceramics. Now we have
even launched Prajudi Furniture, a collection of antique Javanese
furniture."
In short, Ari said the key to the success of Rumah Mode
Prajudi is that their well-thought-out concept. "Take, for
example, the concept of blue and white colors. We can also adopt
this concept for the entire bedroom. So now you can find
Prajudi's dresses, pillow cases, soap and ceramics in the same
colors and styles."
Ari, originally Prajudi's assistant designer, admitted that he
no longer felt burdened by the reputation of his late boss.
"I'm deeply involved in this business now and I have all the
freedom to exist. Besides, I also maintain the image of Mas
Prajudi which is strongly linked to the 'Indonesian' element. I
have supplemented this with my own development, which emphasizes
wearability and salability."
Ari has proved that he is capable of continuing Prajudi's
work. He and Chossy Latu, who introduced the collection under his
own name but also designs for Iwan Tirta -- the batik maestro and
graduate of Yale Law School -- make up a few success stories of
regeneration in Indonesia.
Another case is Didi Budiardjo, 28, who is now considered
capable of continuing the success of his teacher Susan
Budihardjo, who is no relation. "Before knowing Susan I didn't
understand the proper technique of sewing," he said. Didi, a
winner of the 1989 Fashion Designers' Contest here, was selected
to represent the country in the Asia Fashion Connection 1989 in
Singapore.
After being Susan's apprentice for a year, Didi has now set up
his own boutique. He stresses that newcomers must discover the
opportunities for regeneration.
"New designers are more welcomed now compared to seven or
eight years ago," Didi said. "And becoming a designer here is
easier than overseas where one must have a workshop, a concept
and clear target presented through fashion shows."
But he points out that newcomers have lacked the ability to
maintain their own existence and thus cannot work with seniors.
Besides, Didi added, fashion is a very individual field and
young designers have opted to go on their own, which is also
influenced by consumers looking for a wider choice.
"People now look for funky or even avant garde styles, so
(designers') market can reach out to many directions," he said.