Iwan Tirta launches first casualwear line

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."