Iwan Tirta launches first casualwear line

By Dini S. Djalal

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's most famous luxury designer is going mainstream. Iwan Tirta, whose couture batiks are worn by royalty and heads of state worldwide, is launching his first casualwear line called Tirta.

To be sold at department stores across Indonesia and eventually overseas, as well as in the first Tirta boutique at Mal Taman Anggrek, West Jakarta, the Tirta line is primarily play clothes for men. Jeans, t-shirts, polo shirts, shorts, and casual shirts comprise the bulk of the collection, most of which are accentuated with vaguely batik motifs. The collection was unveiled at a fashion show earlier this week at the Fashion Cafe.

It's a bold and surprising move on the part of both Iwan Tirta and his backer and production partner, garment manufacturing giant Great River International (GRI). GRI says the deal was made to promote products "Made in Indonesia" both in Indonesia and overseas, as well as to support Indonesia's fashion industry.

The campaign will focus on the domestic market in the first year. But in two years GRI is confident that the combination of quality clothes with lower production costs will make the products more competitive than similar brands. Its first year sales target is US$1.4 million, and $9 million in five years.

As in any business venture, however, optimistic targets do not come without costs. Tirta is likely to sell well alongside other local casualwear brands such as Country Fiesta, but it may have an adverse affect on Iwan Tirta's batik collections. Pierre Cardin initially catered to the mass market and elite clients, but eventually became known more for his bed linen than his couture.

Greater prosperity, and the snobbery that accompanies it, may pose a problem. The nouveaux riches often buy products for their exclusivity, and disdain anything considered "common". The wealthy may avoid association with a name worn by the not-so- wealthy.

But ultimately what counts is the product. Yet unlike the ubiquitous The Gap, which does brisk business with all economic groups because it produces generic but essential clothes, the bland Tirta collection does not have similar appeal and does little to raise Iwan Tirta's batikking reputation. Tirta's batik expertise may be dimmed by the exposure of Tirta khakis. This may be good news to GRI, which will no doubt sell a lot of jeans, but not so great for Iwan Tirta's batik studios.

So why is Tirta doing this? Money. He knows that casual collections and mass manufacturing are where fashion's future lies. "Fashion is big business. We are no longer kids playing with beautiful clothes," said Tirta.

Tirta offers Europe's fashion industry as an example of the move towards commercialism. "In France, all the fashion houses are controlled by conglomerates. Today it's big business which decides who will run the fashion houses," said Tirta referring to the ownership of Christian Dior and Givenchy, among others, by the HMLV (Henessy Moet Louis Vuitton) Group.

Perhaps feeling the pinch of competition from international brands, Tirta has changed gears to reach their level of commercialism.

"Today, you can't go on in fashion without production, financing, advertising, and publicity," he said.

But in an attempt to stretch the market, attention to detail and creativity may be lost. As an observer in the audience commented, "If this is what they mean by industry growth, then designers should keep it small."