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.