Jakarta, a shopping paradise for all
T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor/Jakarta
During the weekend, when most offices are closed, shopping malls become exceedingly crowded. Thousands of people -- adults and children, men and women -- pack the malls while many others are turned away because the parking is full.
And now that the Christmas and New Year holidays are drawing near, people are doing even more shopping than usual. People are shopping not only because they want new clothes, shoes and accessories for holiday parties, but also because of the big discounts being offered.
In celebration of the holiday season, shopping malls are organizing various events, including games and concerts to enhance the cheerful atmosphere. Some malls have put up giant Christmas trees with colorful decorations.
Mal Kelapa Gading, for example, is ready to welcome the holiday season with a series of programs, including the Disney Enchanting Christmas, a magic show and a concert featuring Shanty, Project Pop and MTV DJ Nirina.
On New Year's Eve, singers Glen Fredly and Helena, as well as North, a boy-band from Australia, will entertain shoppers. New Year's Eve will also see the grand launching of Lapiazza, which combines the lifestyle concepts of EX Entertainment Center and Cilandak Town Square.
Retailers have their own way of attracting visitors, offering big year-end sales. Some stores are offering discounts of up to 70 percent for certain items. No wonder people are making the best of this opportunity and filling their shopping bags with all kinds of items.
Jakarta is indeed a shopping paradise, with many exclusive boutiques in upscale shopping malls like Plaza Indonesia in Central Jakarta, Plaza Senayan in South Jakarta, Mal Taman Anggrek in West Jakarta, Mal Kelapa Gading in East Jakarta, Mal Pondok Indah in South Jakarta and Pasaraya Grande in South Jakarta. The creations of top local and overseas designers are on offer at these boutiques.
There is no need to go abroad to purchase fashionable products from international brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Christian Dior, Hugo Boss, Prada, Miu Miu, Lolita Lempicka and Sisley.
Most of these brands have been available in the city for years, while others are more recently arrived, like Lolita Lempicka from France and Sisley from Italy, which this year opened boutiques in Plaza Indonesia and Plaza Senayan, respectively.
Lolita Lempicka chose Jakarta for its first boutique in Asia because the city has a large population with strong purchasing power.
"Fashion consumers in Indonesia are among the most stylish in the region and they seek perfection in their style. Indonesia's fashion enthusiasts are ready and have grown to accept international fashion. The potential market for fashion products in Indonesia is very significant," said Hoedani Hadijono, the marketing and communications manager of ClubConcepts, the brand license holder of the Lolita Lempicka fashion label for the Asia Pacific.
A lot of people here, women and men alike, give serious consideration to their clothes. They pay attention to style, color, cut, material -- and also the brand. They will not hesitate to splash down up to millions of rupiah for an item of clothing or a pair of shoes.
More and more boutiques are opening in Jakarta as people become increasingly fashion conscious.
"Jakarta, with its fashionable, cosmopolitan residents, has become a fashion center. People do not need to go abroad to shop as there is a great variety of products on offer," said Cut Meutia, the public relations manager for Mal Kelapa Gading.
The mall first opened in 1990. Five years later it opened a second mall and just two years ago a third one began to operate -- all are located in the same area.
It has a 2,000-square-meter space called The Catwalk, where some 30 top local designers like Musa Widyatmodjo, Biyan, Ghea Panggabean and Anne Avantie have opened boutiques.
The products of local designers are also available in other major shopping malls. Most top local designers display their goods at counters in Pasaraya Grande, Sogo Department Store and Metro Department Store.
"The works of local designers are quite good," said Maggie, a woman in her 20s who was browsing through the clothes of a local designer at Mal Taman Anggrek.
"I like this one. It is pretty and the price is reasonable," she pointed to an evening dress made of chiffon and satin silk adorned with beads that cost more than Rp 1 million.
The young woman, an accountant, studied and worked in Australia for seven years before returning to Indonesia last month.
Maggie said local designers were quite creative. She said the clothes were a bit more complicated than the average Australian products and very beautiful, especially with daring colors like orange, pink, red and green.
Whether they are from local or foreign designers, everything is available here in a great variety of styles and prices. The choice is yours.