Teen designers make their own cut

Teen designers make their own cut

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Filda Fibriani, now 18, started her own business at the tender
age of 17. Beginning with one sewing machine, she now runs a
boutique while finishing her studies at a vocational high school.

She is one of those rare teenagers who has known exactly what
she wants to be at an early age, and has chosen to follow her
dream instead of following the well-worn route of high school,
then college.

This year, Filda is planning on expanding her modest boutique
after graduation.

"Right now, I'm working alone. But I hope I can hire employees
to meet orders after I graduate from high school," Filda told The
Jakarta Post.

She bought her first sewing machine with the savings she made
from making dresses.

"I live at my auntie's house. She has a sewing machine that
she let me borrow."

Filda specializes in Muslim dress, although she also accepts
orders for other kinds of garments.

Born to a family of seamstresses, she attends a state
vocational school in Bogor that has a sewing and fashion
designing class.

Voted best student of the class, her teachers entered her in a
fashion competition early this year organized by German cosmetics
producer Nivea and the German Garment Training Center.

There, she won first prize in designing corporate outfits for
Nivea.

Radot Marpaung, fashion editor at Canting magazine, lauded
Filda's designs -- which were elegant, yet functional -- for
their "brilliant color combination".

"Filda grasped the philosophy behind the products," he added.

Radot said although the second-place designer's creation was
more unique than Filda's, the jury decided to give the first
prize to Filda.

"Uniforms should be easy to mass produce, so the design should
not be too sophisticated," he commented after the competition.

The first-prize winner for casual and party outfits was Devi
Kania, voted best student of a state vocational high school in
Cimahi, Bandung, West Java.

Both Devi and Filda will finish their high school degree this
year, following a three-year course in dress-making.

"We have learned how to sketch our designs, design patterns,
cut fabrics in several different ways and of course, to sew -- by
machine and by hand," Devi said.

"To pass the first year, we had to make a skirt from scratch
in only two hours," she said.

The most difficult part about making good quality clothes, she
continued, was fitting the clothes for a customer.

"We have to do some altering by hand to make the clothes feel
comfortable for the customer," she said.

Although Devi does not yet have her own boutique, she also
wants to start one some day.

"After high school, I will study at German Garment Training
Center for six months," she said.

Filda and Devi both received a scholarship to the center, as
well as a free trip to a garment center in Ho Chi Minh City, to
meet other young designers.

While the two women might not become the next Donna Karan, but
at their young age, they have already achieved a certain level of
success -- perhaps a sign of further creations to come.