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.