Suarti aims to help juniors gain success
She didn't look like a 44-year-old woman at all. Sporting jeans, black bustier, purple lace kebaya (traditional blouse) and black boots, Suarti met journalists recently after the media conference for Fashion Fusion, due to take place at Ritz-Carlton Bali Resort and Spa on Oct. 25 and Oct 26.
She may not be well-known among locals, but Suarti has achieved worldwide fame among lovers of jewelry, particularly of silver. Her designs are scattered across five countries: the U.S. (her collection is available at SoHo, New York), Canada, Japan, Germany and the UK.
"I still don't have time for the local market. Besides, Indonesian people still do not appreciate the beauty of silver. It's better to design in gold for them," she said while sipping champagne.
Her collection includes toe rings, rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces and other accessories, at prices ranging from US$5 to $1,000. Not all her designs can be worn by ordinary people, who form 60 percent of her market. The rest is collectible items for both museums or individuals.
Launching a new collection every season, (four times a year), Suarti lives to a tight schedule. Next month, for example, she will fly to London on Sept. 11 and will return to Bali on Oct. 23 for the Fashion Fusion.
In between, she must plan her silver housewares and fashion creations for next year.
"I usually follow market trends but combine them with my own style. For the 2003 Spring collection, the colors will be red, green and yellow," she said, speaking both in English and Indonesian with a heavy Balinese accent.
"I also aim to launch three items in one collection: accessories, fashion and housewares, all together. The reason to create housewares is because I couldn't stop thinking why all spoons have the same overall design. They can be designed to look beautiful."
Reluctant to state the annual value of her exports, she finally whispered that it was several million dollars.
Born in Ubud on May 25, 1958, to dancer and painter parents, the Balinese woman began a career as a dancer. Suarti left her hometown in 1979 to teach Balinese dance in New York before obtaining a scholarship to study design.
"I'd had enough of dancing. I needed to embrace other things like design. It was a new challenge," said the woman whose fingers and wrists are adorned with bracelets and rings using opal and amethyst.
Her life changed when the then Indonesian Ambassador to the United Nations, Ali Alatas, asked her to present her creations at an event in 1986, where she also met designer and author Diane von Furstenberg.
"Diane advised me to use my own designs with Indonesian motifs if I wanted to market my products. It worked," she said. "I studied the market before making the designs in New York, ordered craftsmen in Indonesia to fabricate the pieces and sent them back to New York."
Despite her expanding business, the Sept. 11 tragedy left her worried, although it subsequently turned out to have little impact on her business, if any at all.
"Retail sales dropped by 30 percent but the funny thing was that home shopping went up by 20 percent. In other words, my market was not that affected by the tragedy."
With better trading conditions now, Suarti aims to use computers for designing and machines for semi-finishing.
"Making accessories by hand has limited the production output. Besides, each of my creations has taksu (soul), unlike those of foreign designers. That makes a difference and that's why I can compete against them."
"I've just returned from a trip to Thailand and Taiwan where I searched for the right tools to boost production as far as the semi-finished stage. The finishing touches are added by the skilled hands of our craftsmen."
Quality control is also crucial for Suarti.
"I always have a headache monitoring the workmanship of our craftsmen scattered in Bangil, Lumajang and Situbondo in East Java, Yogyakarta and Bali," she said with a loud laugh.
Success hasn't allowed the mother of three children to become forgetful of her Eastern roots, particularly Balinese culture.
"I may be the one who goes out and supports the family financially, but in Bali a woman must follow what her husband says. If my husband tells me to slow down, I do," said the wife of Peter Luce. Luce handles the management side of the company.
She's got it all: fame, fortune and a happy family. What else is missing?
"I want to encourage my juniors to follow in my footsteps. There's such a big market out there, but there's nothing to be afraid of. What they need is a good concept and how to understand the market. I really need publicity now, not for me, but to inspire and encourage them.
"If anyone wants to join me or only discuss it, they can feel free to contact me at suarticollection@attglobal.net. I will be more than happy to help," she said, at the end of our conversation.
And then, at the request of some photographers, she posed with a champagne glass in her hand.
-- Primastuti Handayani