Putting male reality back on the runway

Syahmedi Dean, Contributor, Jakarta

When one talks about fashion, there is not much in the way of choice in Jakarta for men. It seems that Indonesia's designers are much more at home creating clothes for women.

Why is it that fashion designs for men are not as popular as those for women in Jakarta? Many beautiful dresses created by Indonesian fashion designers have been hits. They are popular and get into the local mainstream. Unfortunately, things are quite the opposite when we talk about men's fashion. There is not a single designer collection of men's clothes that has become famous. It seems that the male gender is virtually off the radarscope for the local fashion industry.

Of course, this does not mean that there are no fashion designers that create men's clothes. A few well-known fashion designers often put on show their men's collections. Usually their designs are either inserted between their women's collections or simply introduced as being complementary to these collections. That's why these men's designs follow the concept of the "main course", with the material used for both the women's and men's designs being the same, for example, satin, or the colors and motifs being similarly explosive. As a result, the men's designs are suitable for little more than entertainment on the runway rather than for wearing in real life.

"The men's creations of local designers are not in tune with the reality of what local male buyers want," said Boedi Basoeki, fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar Magazine Indonesia. "... the designers' works here mostly feature explosive ideas while male Indonesians are generally conservative in the way the dress themselves. So, there is no meeting point."

"Many of men's designs are not quite wearable as they are too showy in the metrosexual style. Meanwhile, Indonesian men usually prefer the casual and sporty style while male professionals like a conservative style better," said Quartini Sari, fashion editor of Dewi magazine. "As a result, many men purchase foreign brands." Of course, she added, there was one local brand that is doing well, namely XSML, but this brand was suitable only for teenagers in major cities."

Despite the fact that it is quite difficult for fashion designers to bring together their ideas and the reality in the street, there is actually a male collection that is worth considering, namely OscarOscar by Oscar Lawalata. This young designer has created a series of natural and highly wearable designs that reflect the lifestyle of fashionable modern men who, at the same time, do not want to stray too far from the conventional.

"I have introduced the industrial culture in OscarOscar. To ensure that my creations do not give the typical impression of mass production, I lay stress on the design element," Oscar Lawalata said.

Oscar's collection reflects a look that is acceptable to men. Take, for example, his design for cargo trousers with a loose silhouette to be worn with a cotton sweatshirt. Then there are his unique cargo pants with the zippers going across instead of up and down. The zippers are of contrasting colors so that they are very attractive. Also important for men, the fabrics are comfortable while the colors are down to earth.

"The OscarOscar collection is based on a highly ready-to-wear concept. And it is produced deliberately in limited quantities," Oscar said.

To produce in limited quantities is an effective fashion strategy that gives the impression of exclusivity -- something that is appreciated by the buyers. Oscar must also take into consideration easy access to his products. In order to ensure this, he has opened a new boutique -- Black Box OscarOscar -- at Jalan Senopati No. 25, Jakarta.

"I find Oscar's creations good and wearable. The creative element is there but it's not overdone so that whoever wears the gear will be cool," said Boedi Basoeki.

OscarOscar and XSML may signal the rise of ready-to-wear male fashion in Indonesia so as to help ensure that both men and women can easily fulfill their fashion lifestyle needs. Should ready-to-wear men's fashion become established here, it will be as easy for men to find a non mass-produced fashion brand that suits their tastes as opening their own wardrobes.