Parents' blessings crucial in the life of designer Edo

Parents' blessings crucial in the life of designer Edo

By Agni Amorita

JAKARTA (JP): What is wrong if a woman wears her hair in a
ponytail but is clad in the national dress of a sarong, kebaya
blouse and a pair of stiletto shoes?

The answer is everything! According to fashion designer Edward
Hutabarat, a sarong is not intended to be paired with a kebaya
blouse. The kebaya, a long-sleeved traditional blouse with
buttons, or pins, in the front, can only matched be with a batik
dress. On the other hand, a sarong is to be worn with a baju
kurung, another long-sleeved traditional blouse without buttons
in the front. The other mistakes are the hairdo and also the
footwear because the kebaya or baju kurung can only be part of
the national dress if the wearer has her hair in a sanggul (by
putting her hair up in a knot) and there are selop (high heel
sandals) on her feet.

"My deep concern toward our own national dress encouraged me
to do a year-long research into it and then compile it in a
book," said Edward Hutabarat, also known as Edo, on Monday in the
National Museum in Jakarta, where he launched his first book
titled Busana Nasional Indonesia (Indonesian National Outfits).

Edo, 41, is long known for his passionate approach to kebaya
dresses. It was Edo who started kebaya mania in 1996. Almost all
local designers then adopted the kebaya dress and its
modifications. After successfully making the Jakarta fashion
society look twice at the kebaya and baju kurung, Edo realized
something was wrong. He believes that like other traditional
items, the kebaya and baju kurung had a pakem (unwritten
rule/style). However, it seemed to him that the modernized kebaya
and baju kurung did not care about a pakem.

Working together with the government, in this case some
researchers from the Ministry of Education and Culture led by Dr.
Anhar Gonggong, Edo wrote his book.

"I found many interesting facts," Edo said happily. "For
example, the kebaya or baju buka depan (a traditional blouse
with buttons) on the front page -- and the baju kurung or baju
tutup depan (traditional blouse without buttons in the front) are
found in almost all provinces of Indonesia except Irian Jaya."

Having various names, the similar pattern of the baju buka
dalam is known as a kebaya in Java, including with the Sundanese,
Balinese, Jambinese, Dayak and Banjar tribes of Kalimantan and
especially with the Ambonese in the Maluku. In Aceh, this
traditional blouse is called the baju balah, in Minangkabau, West
Sumatra it is the kebaya pendek, the kebayan in Lampung, tangkang
in Sasak, West Nusa Tenggara or Timor, the baju kustim to the
Kutai in East Kalimantan, the wuyang in Minahasa, North Sulawesi
and baju pasua in Kaili, Southeast Sulawesi.

On the other hand, the baju kurung is the term used in
Minangkabau, Riau, Jambi, Bengkulu and North Sumatra. While
people in Aceh call it the baju meukeureuyay, in Java this blouse
is known as the kebaya kudus and the Betawi in Jakarta call it
baju kurung tabur. The Sikka in East Nusa Tenggara call it the
baju labu liman berum. The Dayak in Sulawesi call it the baju
kuurung, while those in Palembang call it baju kooroong.

Edo's research on male attire shows that teluk belanga, a
traditional male jacket, is found in all provinces of Indonesia.
These outfits have a significant similarity in the pattern; they
all have a straight collar even though they have different names,
like baju meukasah in Aceh and the baju sapit putih in Bali.

Besides talking about pakem in his luxury edition book, Edo
offers matching suits for the kain batik and other traditional
long skirts, such as sarung pelekat, songket, tenun ikat and
tenun ulos in colorful photography.

"I want people to realize that our national dress is very
beautiful, elegant and full of art," he said.

His collections were presented in a gala fashion show with
Edo's mother as the guest of honor in the center of the National
Museum after the book's launching.

"I have been designing for more than 19 years but it is the
first time to have my mom in attendance," said Edo emotionally.

Edo, who was born in Tarutung, North Sumatra on Aug. 31, 1958,
left law school to become a fashion designer, a decision which
was against the wishes of his parents, who wanted him to follow
in the footsteps of his lawyer father. He won the prestigious
Best Ten award in a national design contest in 1980, and then
went on to represent Indonesia in Asia Fashion Connection 1992 in
Singapore. At home, he is known as a successful Indonesian senior
designer. But without his parents' blessings, Edo felt something
was missing. Therefore, despite his success, he desperately kept
asking for his parents' blessing.

"Life," he said, "is like fashion, it needs harmony." And in
his book Edo finds harmony between his career and his parents.