Tex Saverio left school for fashion
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.