Itang Yunasz: Fashion that's gotta have faith

Itang Yunasz: Fashion that's gotta have faith

Muara Bagdja, Contributor, Jakarta

About four years ago, Itang Yunasz debuted a collection of then
popular sexy halter black gowns, entirely in keeping with his
reputation for designing trendy wear.

Then he virtually disappeared from the scene, with little
heard from him since, except for his made to order clothing. So
it came as a big surprise when he invited fashion editors to a
show featuring his latest collection, held at his studio in South
Jakarta during the fasting month of Ramadhan in November (a show
for his customers was arranged for the following day).

With ostentatious ball gowns (still) all the rage, the
assembled gathering could only imagine the bustiers, evening
dresses and other luxury wear that lay in store.

Surprise, surprise: There was not a bodice in sight as the
models came out in an array of all-white Muslim fashion, with
guest star Reza singing an invocation of verses from the Koran.

Donning the all-white Muslim garb, pop singer Reza, a guest
star, sang an invocation of verses from the Koran. She was
radiant in her own white outfit, with her husband, soap actor
Adjie Massaid, modeling a koko (the loose-fitting tunic style
shirt for men) and a turban.

Of course, his switch in design style -- a kind of "profane to
sacred" change -- led to a lot of questions. Not least among them
was why, amid the great popularity of evening gowns, Itang chose
to go against the mainstream.

Itang had his answers at the ready.

"Today, Muslim dress enjoys great popularity. More and more
people, including the young, have taken a liking to this dress.
Well, I simply wanted to find out how big this market is," he
said.

It is only natural in business, including the fashion
business, to explore fresh opportunities to expand your market.
Itang said the ready-to-wear division of his business had not
been running well recently. Understandably, he is now trying to
secure new market opportunities.

Itang won first prize in the fashion design competition held
by Femina magazine in the early 1980s, an event that, like for so
many other aspiring designers, brought him to the attention of
the local fashion community. Since his early years in fashion (he
has also been an actor and model), he has featured designs
combining feminine and masculine styles with a daring twist of
sexy lines.

His designs for women's suits were popular in the 1980s. His
most memorable creations were in a collection inspired by the
safari-style suits of Sukarno, Indonesia's first president.

He is also noted for his use of the print motif technique in
his designs. He borrows from the country's traditional motifs,
such as Javanese characters, representations of bedoyo (Javanese
court) dancers and those based on Chinese ceramic motifs. In
recognition of his creative use of these traditional motifs, he
was awarded the Apparel Trophy from the country's fashion editors
in the early 1990s.

Although this was his debut collection, Itang said he branched
out at the request of his wife, Yenny, whom he married in 1998
and who is the mother of his two children.

"About three years ago, my wife felt called upon to wear
Muslim dress and asked me to make a trendy design for her. She
wanted to look fashionable in Muslim wear," Itang said.

His wife showed him a design by Italy's Roberto Cavalli, the
man the stars call on for sexy attire, consisting of a gown with
thin shoulder straps made of beautiful fabric and adorned with
pretty accessories.

She wanted Itang to design a similar dress but with the
shoulders covered, in keeping with Muslim religious instructions.

Itang complied, designing one model after another. As a Muslim
who knows the do's and don'ts of his religion, he found it both
easy and enjoyable to create the designs.

"The longer I designed the Muslim dress, the more I enjoyed it
as I could creatively adapt fashion trends for my Muslim
fashion," he said.

He set up his own design collection, called "Marakesh" and
managed by his elder sister a year ago. It was still very basic,
with simple material and mostly large dress sizes for housewives.
The designs stayed true to the prevailing market tastes for
tunics and pants, or Arab-style shirts, sold in bulk orders for
retailers in the provinces.

But word reached celebrities Inneke Kusherawati, Desy
Ratnasari, Reza and other loyal customers, who also purchased the
dresses.

"I was encouraged to produce a complete collection of Moslem
wear on one grand theme," he said.

Many of his customers say Itang's Muslim designs are different
from the norm -- modern and even slightly funky.

One of his designs, for example, is inspired by the flapper
dresses of the 1920s. The dress is cut straight from top to
bottom, which keeps to the Muslim regulation against showing the
body contours.

Another gown has a fish-tail design. Some of the blouses are
designed in the Victorian style with ruffled sleeves and smocks,
while others are modifications of the kimono.

With their modern look, the designs can be paired with a
simple head covering, such as a long shawl that falls around the
shoulders.

"I want to show that modern Muslim dress is suitable for any
occasion. You don't have to feel uneasy or shy about wearing it,"
he said.

"I just got an offer from Malaysia to organize a Muslim
fashion show there and sell my collection. I have a lot of buyers
from Kalimantan, such as Tarakan and Samarinda. They are never
bothered by my prices."

He admits that his clothes are pricey, ranging from Rp 3.5
million to Rp 8 million for one set, but attributed it to the
quality materials used, particularly chiffon.

Itang is not only capitalizing on the preference for Muslim
dress -- he also wants women to understand how to dress
appropriately. According to Muslim regulations for women's dress,
only a woman's palms and face should be exposed; her body shape
must not be accentuated by the cut of her clothes.

He said that when he met a woman wearing Muslim dress that
revealed her neck, he would suggest that she cover the neck with
a shawl or that she don a dress with a Chinese-style collar.

Itang has also started designing Muslim wedding gowns. They
consist of luxury Arab-style shirts made of bead-encrusted lace.
They are paired with long coats and long headdresses.

Although his gowns look modern and beautiful, Itang realizes
that they should be a reflection of the person's inner peace and
devotion, not a mask to leave a holier-than-thou impression.

"We see many women in Muslim dress who still gossip and
backstab," he said.