Tex Saverio left school for fashion
Ve Handojo, Contributor, Jakarta
When asked to rate his grade as a fashion designer on the scale of one to 10, 21-year-old Tex Saverio Gunawan answered seven.
For some people, this statement may sound a bit arrogant, but Rio -- as he is familiarly known to his friends -- has proven his talent.
At the prestigious 2005 Fashion Designers Contest (LPM) held on Sept. 15, he was one of the ten finalists. Just a week later, he won the national award in the Mercedes-Benz Asia Fashion Award, an achievement that will enable him to compete against designers from other countries of the region in Singapore next year.
Aside from drawing talent, which he has shown since a very tender age, the other factor behind his achievement is his strong determination.
Convinced that his future lay in the fashion business, he quit the elite Christian Senior High School No. I after one year of study.
"I was sure about my choice. Why wait?" he said.
His parents did not feel happy with the decision.
"They are businesspeople. They asked me whether I felt sure about my decision. I told them I did."
Rio joined the BUNKA fashion school before taking an apprenticeship with Phalie Studio, run by Patricia.
"He came to me around two years ago. He used to be an ignorant student who submitted his assignments just seconds before the deadlines. Now, he's a far more serious young man. I've witnessed the change in his motivation," Patricia said.
"It is my responsibility to be serious now. I used to draw sketches in my spare time. Now, it is who I am," said the Manga- style blue-haired Rio.
His sketches have now been converted into dresses that are not only worn by his regular customers, but also TV presenter Donna Agnesia when she hosted the recent Ruth Sahanaya concert.
"My label, Saverio, is more couture orientated. I think I still need some time to start a ready-to-wear collection," he said.
He realizes that he has to learn a lot to become a "grade 10" fashion designer.
"Especially, the technical and managerial sides of the fashion industry. I admire Indonesian designers like Adrian Gan and Eddy Betty, as well as Biyan, for their managerial skills."
His creation for the Mercedes-Benz Asia Fashion Award was titled "Dualism". The ten cross-gender fashion designs were presented as the climax of the show on the last evening of the festival, which was held from Sept. 17 through Sept. 24.
"In fashion, the dualism concept means man and woman. I want to create ready-to-wear pieces that can be applied to men and women," he explained.
That evening, the runway was crowded with ten male and ten female models. The topless males posed while the females walked past them. One by one, the females took off a piece of their outfits, and transformed it into something to be worn by the male models -- jackets, robes, shirts and so on. The complicated designs give the models extra work while posing and walking on the runway. It was not the smoothest presentation, yet the applause seemed to go on forever.
"I was initially full of doubts about the concept," admitted Rio. "But Miss (that's what he calls his mentor) totally backed me up, saying it was something that was achievable."
"My mother recorded it on handycam," he said. "She totally supports me and my business now. So does my father."
The Mercedes-Benz Asia Fashion Award started being held in Indonesia in 2004, and selects the two best designers to compete in the Southeast Asia competition. The other winner of the award this year was Yudhi Mulyawan.