Talented fashion students strut their stuff

Talented fashion students strut their stuff

Elaine, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It takes more than a little bravery to go public with dreams of
becoming a young fashion designer, putting your name on the line
and having to accept the criticism of others.

That was the case last Saturday when a group of young,
promising fashion design students gathered at the International
Garment Training Center (IGTC) campus in Sentul, West Java.

Two students representing the 12 schools invited to join the
competition showed three outfits -- an evening, formal and casual
wear -- of their design.

It was not only an opportunity to showcase their talent, but
also a chance to learn the smarts of running their own business.

A jury of experts from the fashion world and garment industry
selected three winners based on choice of material, finishing and
ability and to selling the designs. The top three winners were
awarded IGTC's study programs along with other prizes from
sponsors.

IGTC director Markus Boehm said the purpose of the competition
was to seek talented young people and provide them with the
chance to exercise their creativity, as well as learn useful
management skills that would assist them in their future careers.

"Many fashion design students are unemployed after graduation.
IGTC would like to give them additional training of marketing and
merchandising," he said.

"It is the combination of creative and business skills that
will make these young people much more competitive and
successful. It helps them to start a career in the garment
industry, Indonesia's second biggest employer, or to open up
their own business."

Despite the heat, parking difficulties and a huge crowd of
onlookers, the event went off smoothly, with students from
several of the design schools providing their own cheering
sections.

First up was Nunu Aryanti Anwar from Universitas Pendidikan
Indonesia in Bandung, whose blue-dominated collection wowed the
audience.

As other designs came onto the catwalk, it became apparent
that although each of the students had their own designs, the
materials used were generally similar.

For the evening collection, the predominant materials were
silk, chiffon, tulle and, most importantly, beads that were
generously integrated into most of the designs, be it on the
bottom fringe of the skirt, around the waistline or neckline.

While the young designers are undeniably talented, only a few
of them managed to come up with a consistently interesting and
innovative set of designs, which still means that each of the
competitors presented the audience with at least one or two
fascinating and memorable designs. Examples were Nining Suliana's
glamorous oriental-inspired red dress and Iwan Amir's
phenomenally constructed leaf-green dress.

The formal wear collection was quite monotonous with many of
the competitors experimenting with colors and materials -- but
not so much with style.

The standard blouse, skirt and blazer combination appeared
over and over again on stage, although Zainab Kubro Al-Habsyi's
finely tailored suit was a standout because of the unique
masculine style.

The casual wear was definitely more varied than the formal
wear but most of the designs were, well, casual. It could be said
that they were a little too informal; cropped pants, sleeveless
shirts and flat sandals being the standards.

The great thing about the casual wear category is that it gave
more space for competitors with edgy themes to experiment. While
it is certainly much easier to impress an audience with elegant
evening wear, several of the competitors came up with creative
yet wearable designs.

An example was Ely Marlina's clown-inspired casual wear, which
consisted of a pair of funky red and brown cropped pants paired
with a cute red halter top. Wiyanti Hartanto, on the theme of
anak Jalanan (street kids), provided another interesting example.
No one would wear her ripped dress to a party but youngsters
would go crazy for her patched "street wear".

With each of the competitors showing a unique approach, with
individual strengths and weaknesses, it was difficult to judge
them against each other. But when the winners were announced,
everyone had to agree the most important factor in the
competition was choice of material, with each of the top three
winners effectively utilizing unconventional materials.

The winner was Ni Nyoman Sari S. from SMK Negeri 3 vocational
school in Bogor. Her stunning gray-dominated collection --
inspired by the monuments of Bali -- was perhaps the most
consistent in sticking to a theme among the other designers.

Second place went to Zainab Kubro Al-Habsyi from InterStudi
Jakarta, with a playful evening dress imaginatively lined with
feathers. Teti Kanilah from SMK Negeri 3 Bogor took third with
distinctive colorful threads inspired by local handicraft knits.

They are young, but the designers displayed enormous
potential. It's not only about talent, however, because that can
only take you so far. After the competition, they are also
blessed with the opportunity to expand their creativity and
devise a strategy for their future.

"I was very impressed about the presented outfits. I am sure
that these young people will have a great future in the garment
industry," said Anandita Bajaj, a member of the jury.

Let's hope the IGTC Fashion Competition will be a small but
significant stepping stone for each of these students to begin
their journey in the fashion world. Only time will tell if they
will manage to take Indonesia to the forefront of the world
fashion.