Idul Fitri: Designers flooded with orders for the holiday

Idul Fitri: Designers flooded with orders for the holiday

Agni Amorita, Contributor, Jakarta

Unlike those from fashion capitals of the world where there are
actual seasons necessitating cooler or warmer clothes, Jakarta
residents are not accustomed to changing their wardrobe every few
months.

And while Indonesian fashion design associations roll out
their collections every year, the real time to stock up on new
clothes is around the holidays, especially the post-fasting month
festivities of Idul Fitri, Christmas and the New Year, as well as
the Chinese New Year, now designated a national holiday in the
country.

Idul Fitri, in particular, is the time to put on something new
and attractive to impress one's friends and relatives.

It's a bumper time of year for designers but, with Idul Fitri
set to fall in the next couple of days, many will be relieved
that the hard slog of making new dresses for the holidays will be
over.

The chairman of the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association
(APPMI), Musa Widyatmodjo, said that his production for this
year's holiday had increased 400 percent.

"So far we have made 2000 pieces of dresses and it's
increasing."

It's only a temporary respite, with the round of Christmas and
New Year's parties lying ahead, each requiring a different design
theme.

Musa predicted that he would have a 200 percent sales increase
for Christmas, and about half of that for the Chinese New Year,
which falls about a month later.

Its been a similarly hectic time for members of the Indonesian
Fashion Design Council (IPMI), the other major fashion design
association in the country. Two senior IPMI members, Choosy Latu
and Widhi Budhimulia, said they were flooded with orders.

"People should order about three months before the holidays,"
said Chossy, who was forced to decline new orders about two
months ago.

"We simply can't handle such last minute orders at the
moment."

Widhi, known for his evening gowns, has also imposed a tight
cut-off period.

"I asked my clients to order designs three or four months
before the big day," explained the designer with twolabels under
his name.

Chenny Han, one designer who has gone it alone and is not
affiliated with either design association, also turns her
attention to the market demands this time of year

"Although I am primarily known as a bridal designer, holidays
like Idul Fitri and Christmas are the busiest for selling party
dresses," the owner of the House of Chenny said.

There are also many choices availabe for women who cannot
afford the Rp 1 million-plus clothes of the designers.

The number of fashion kiosks in the Jatinegara area of East
Jakarta, for example, has doubled, and middle range malls and
shopping centers are offering huge discounts on clothes.

For many people, Idul Fitri is the time to wear clothes in
which their identity as Indonesians stands out.

Chossy recommends a batik scarf worn with a long-sleeve lace
tunic or matched with a Malaysian-style dress. He has combined
the kebaya (traditional blouse) with a fancy palazzo as one of
his favorite designs for Idul Fitri.

Musa also selected a modified kebaya for both Idul Fitri and
Christmas.

"The difference is only its color. I pick solemnity for Idul
Fitri, such as pastel colors, while for Christmas my collection
will be elegant with red and white."

For New Year's, Musa prefers bold colors and only tolerates
red and pink for his Chinese New Year collection. Chossy Latu
makes provocative designs, with a sexier cut and more glittering
colors, such as gold, for New Year's parties.

Street vendors follow the same fashon variations for the
separate holidays, with pastels selling well for Ramadhan.

"We will sell jeans and more fancy T-shirt in December," said
Juariah, a seasonal street vendor from Tasikmalaya, West Java,
who sells Bandung made scarves in Jatinegara market.

The major problem for this year is the pervading sense of
insecurity about what lies ahead, which extends to purchasing
choices.

"People are afraid to go shopping for new outfits in malls.
They are afraid of a bomb attack," said Widhi.

It's the same problem for the street vendors.

"Although I can sell more than a dozen scarves a day, the
buyers are not as many as I expected," said Juariah.