Putting male reality back on the runway

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.