Some 50 top designers to stage latest collections at Fashion Week

Some 50 top designers to stage latest collections at Fashion Week

JAKARTA (JP): Some 50 top fashion designers will present their
collections during Indonesian Fashion Week, which will be held in
conjunction with the Asia Global Sourcing textile and apparel
exhibition.

The event, which is organized by PT Rantai Expo International
in cooperation with the London-based ITE Group Plc., is billed as
Indonesia's biggest fashion event of the year.

The event will include catwalk shows featuring the latest
ready-to-wear and haute couture collections of famous designers
like Guruh Soekarnoputra, Poppy Dharsono, Musa Widyatmoldjo,
Taruna K. Kusmayadi, Raizal Rais, Dina Midiani, Weeta Djemat,
Oscar Lawalata, RM Prayudi, Yongki Budi Sutisna, Sthepanus Hami
and Era M. Sukamto.

The Indonesian designers will present their collections
(amounting to over 1,200 outfits) at a specially designed catwalk
area on the Mezzanine level of JCC Lobby.

The show is the first of such event, which involves both
designers and textile producers. Many years ago, an attempt was
made to bring together fashion designers and textile companies
but this endeavor has not materialized until this upcoming
fashion show, the fruit of a rare cooperation between these two
major elements in the fashion world.

Eko Prabowo of Rantai said that as designers depended heavily
on textile and were therefore inseparable from the textile
industry, the two of them had to form a harmonious partnership.

In advanced countries, he noted, fashion designers and the
textile industry always foster good cooperation to ensure that
the fashion industry will develop.

Indonesian Fashion Week, to be held from October 25 to 27, is
also the fruit of cooperation with the Association of Fashion
Designing Entrepreneurs (APPMI), established through Poppy
Dharsono, Musa and Taruna, and the Indonesian Fashion Designer's
Council (IPMI).

Eko said that fashion designers not belonging to any fashion
organization, like Adjie Notonegoro for example, have also be
invited to join the schedule. Rantai, he added, would like to
establish a common vision in the face of a globalized market.

In the upcoming fashion week, APPMI, IPMI and individual
fashion designers will present their works on a three-day fashion
show. Invited guests at this exclusive event include the many
international and regional buyers taking part in the exhibition,
as well as the international fashion press and top celebrities
from Indonesia. Obviously, this fashion show will be a golden
opportunity that local fashion designers must never miss.

"Honestly, I'm personally pleased that APPMI is involved in
this exhibition. This means that our own annual show on fashion
trends will this year be part of this international exhibition,"
said Taruna K. Kusmayadi, a fashion designer of APPMI. "We are
interested to participate because they show a serious interest in
fashion development in Indonesia, and also, particularly, because
they will invite world-class buyers like DKNY and Top Shop of UK
and GAP of USA," he noted.

Taruna also said that 27 APPMI members had registered to join
the fashion show. They are among others Musa Widyatmodjo, Dina
Midiani, Raizal Rais, Poppy Dharsono and Dimas Mahendra. Each
designer will display 30 designs of the 2002 trend.

These designers have been preparing for this show for three
months now, Taruna said, adding that this time can APPMI feel
slightly relieved knowing that the logistics of the event are
being taken care of by a professional organizer.

Indonesian Fashion Week has provided them with all the
necessary facilities and APPMI members will only have to tap this
golden opportunity as best they can, he said.

Although they have to prepare for their participation more
hurriedly, Denny Wirawan of IPMI said that the invitation to join
Indonesian Fashion Week is warmly welcomed. Nine IPMI members,
among whom are Stephanus Hamy and Era M. Sukamto, will display
their designs in a special show designated to introduce the trend
favorite among IPMI members, he noted, adding that each designer
would feature about 20 designs.

Meanwhile, Prajudi Fashion House and several other top
designers have been selected by the event committee to hold a
solo show which will each feature 60 designs of the year 2000
trend.

The question that remains is whether the mission of this
Indonesian Fashion Week 2001, a combination of fashion exhibition
and conference, to bring together textile producers, fashion
designers and garment exporters to jointly face the globalized
market will ever be realized.

This is something that only the players in this fashion
industry that can answer. As long as they work professionally and
understand the rule of the game in international business
transactions, it is not unlikely that this great ambition may
become a reality.

One thing that is worth admiring is the effort to bring
together producers and buyers in the upcoming Indonesian Fashion
Week. This will be the first exhibition in Indonesia's fashion
history to substantially contribute to the promotion of the
country's fashion industry.(Asniar Sahab)