Local designers organize big show amid crisis

JAKARTA (JP): In the continuing crisis, when business is painfully slow and people's purchasing power is weakening, do we have also to give up?

"Definitely not," said designer Ramli. Ramli, who is famous for his embroidery technique, conceived the idea to assemble 29 colleagues in the fashion industry to do something about the situation.

Well-established designers like Adjie Notonegoro, Chossy Latu, Ghea Panggabean, Itang Yunasz, Susan Budihardjo, also hair stylist Hanky Tandayu, wedding/interior decorator Suryanto Syu, even John Robert Powers' Mien Uno have agreed to appear together at Mulia Hotel, Central Jakarta, in the Indonesian Designers' Exhibition and Fashion Show.

The event, opened on Wednesday, will run until Sunday. Admission is free. The exhibition, open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., will also display textiles, cosmetics, accessories, shoes and bags.

Fashion shows will be held twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, each time presenting the products of five designers. The designers who presented their products on Wednesday were Poppy Dharsono, Ghea Panggabean, Itang Yunasz, Carmanita and Ramli. Thursday will see Corrie Kastubi, Elice Seymour, Valentino Napitupulu, Stephanus Hamy and Nelwan Anwar in the morning and Gacie, Hutama Adhi, Hanum Gularso, Susie Hediyanto and Chenny Han in the evening.

On Friday, new collections by Naniek Rachmat, Carmanita, Sebastian Gunawan, Itang Yunasz and Stephanus Hamy will be on show. Ghea Panggabean, Poppy Dharsono, Susie Hediyanto, Adjie Notonegoro and Chossy Latu will present their creations on Saturday. The show on the last day will present the collections of Gacie, Hutama Adhi, Dipa, Chossy Latu and Adjie Notonegoro.

A seminar on personality development and a makeup and hairdressing demonstration will be held on Thursday. On Friday, another seminar on Moslem fashion by designer Anne Rufaidah and consultancy sessions on interior design will be given. Those interested in tips on how to buy clothes economically may be interested in attending on Saturday, when flower arrangement sessions will also be held.

During the four days, Mulia Hotel's ballroom will have stalls exhibiting complementary articles for dresses, especially wedding gowns.

Ramli, who is also chairman of the organizing committee, believes that despite the crisis, there are still great opportunities in the Indonesian fashion industry.

Those in the upper-middle class who can no longer indulge in buying brand-name products from New York or Paris are now compelled to give serious thought to the slogan "I love Indonesian products".

"Anyway, clothes come next to food in the priority of essential goods," said Ramli.

Itang Yunasz expressed the same opinion. "I think Ramli's endeavor (to organize the fashion show) is very good as it will bring a change to the inertia afflicting Indonesian designers at present. Those feeling the brunt of the economic crisis will be encouraged to look to the future and strengthen their position. We must be able to see opportunities. If needs be, we should create them ourselves."

Ramli's enterprise is all the more attractive due to the diversity of the participants. It is a relief to see some groups of designers who usually do not get along well now united in facing the crisis together.

Apart from its commercial objective, the show is meant as a gathering of Indonesian fashion designers to give them a moral boost.

"We also hope that fashion school students will make use of this event to consult their seniors," said Itang Yunasz. (Agni Amorita)