Stephanus Hamy looks to the East for inspiration

Stephanus Hamy looks to the East for inspiration

Asniar Sahab, Contributor, Jakarta

In his 16 years in fashion, Stephanus Hamy has made
consistency his tradmark, particularly pleats, which are lovingly
incorporated into his designs.

Stephanus has spent over 13 years developing the pleat
technique, the application of which came from observing other
designers and then making it his own. He was still, however,
second in the public's hearts, as other designers were superior
to him in their creativity and also their financial capability.

He also never went solo in launching his designs, always
choosing instead to be part of joint fashion trend exhibitions
or, occasionally, designing for theater performances or magazine
shoots. Like fellow designer Samuel Wattimena, Stephanus
understands that promotion of his works does not have to be done
through fashion shows alone.

Still, last week he gave in, sort of. He held his debut solo
show, not to cause any ripples in the fashion community but to
dedicate it to his loyal clients, buyers and the press. His show,
presenting 70 designs for 2002, took a relatively short three
months to prepare, from the design process to setting up the show
at Hotel Sari Pan Pacific in Central Jakarta.

Based on the concept of freedom to express oneself, Stephanus
tried to blend various cultural elements of different Asian
lands, such as India, China, Korea, Japan and Indonesia. He
combined them in a composition of world fashion trends, such as
the kebaya (Indonesian traditional blouse), the Chinese
cheongsam, and the sarong and tunic, which were all presented in
modern styles.

Indeed, asymmetric and straight silhouettes have become the
strength of Stephanus' designs over the years. Intentionally, he
did not bundle the whole idea of the cultural elements into his
designs, but accentuated their essence in every line of his
creations.

His fashion show this time gave the impression of highlighting
the kimono, the Japanese traditional dress, over the other pieces
of clothing. He did however, seem more creative in applying the
pleats for his designs, such as making them in soft fabrics like
chiffon, silk and organdy. It did not mean that he applied pleats
in all his design collections, as lace materials with checkered
and polka-dot motifs were also used.

This time, Stephanus used minimalist materials but the pieces
exuded a simple but feminine nuance. Sequins, beads, crystal and
embroidery were found throughout his collection. The fashion
trend in 2002, according to Stephanus, shows a growing tendency
toward the eastern style, just like the theme of his designs this
time.

The pleats, as Stephanus' specialty, were this time expressed
in the embellishment of striking colors like red, green, orange,
blue, black and white so that all his pieces looked cosmopolitan
but slightly contemporary.

His pieces, in terms of wearability and selling value, will be
accepted by the fashion public. Unfortunately, the models' heavy
makeup and staid hairdos gave them a tired appearance in
presenting the creations. The hairdos in particular, swept back
and tied in buns, went against Stephanus' cosmopolitan designs,
simply looking old-fashioned.

It would have worked better for the models to have worn light
makeup and simple hairdos to really show off the beautiful
clothes they were wearing. Something to think about for
Stephanus' second show, perhaps.