Top designers to stage latest collections at Fashion Week
Top designers to stage latest collections at Fashion Week
JAKARTA (JP): Some 50 top fashion designers will present their
latest collections during Indonesian Fashion Week, which will be
held in conjunction with a textile and apparel exhibition.
The event, which is organized by PT Rantai Expo International
in cooperation with London-based International Trade and
Exhibition Group plc (ITE), is billed as Indonesia's largest
fashion event of the year.
The event will include catwalk shows featuring the latest
ready-to-wear and haute couture collections of famous designers
like Guruh Soekarnoputra, Poppy Dharsono, Musa Widyatmoldjo,
Taruna K. Kusmayadi, Raizal Rais, Dina Midiani, Weeta Djemat,
Oscar Lawalata, RM Prayudi, Yongki Budi Sutisna, Sthepanus Hami
and Ara M. Soekanto.
The Indonesian designers will present their latest collections
(amounting to over 1,200 outfits) at a specially designed catwalk
area on the Mezzanine level of JCC Lobby Hall.
The show is the first such event to involve both designers and
textile producers. Many years ago, an attempt was made to bring
together fashion designers and textile companies but this
endeavor did not materialize until this upcoming fashion show.
Eko Prabowo of Rantai said that as designers were heavily
dependent on textiles, they were therefore inseparable from the
textile industry, so the two of them had to form a harmonious
partnership.
In advanced countries, he noted, fashion designers and the
textile industry had always fostered good cooperation to ensure
that the fashion industry developed.
The fashion week to be held from October 25 to 27, is also the
result of cooperation with the Association of Fashion Designing
Entrepreneurs (APPMI) and the Indonesian Association of Fashion
Designers (IPMI).
Eko said that fashion designers not belonging to any fashion
organization, like Ramli and Adjie Notonegoro, would also be
involved in the exhibition. Rantai, he added, would like to
establish a common vision in the face of a globalized market.
In the upcoming fashion week, APPMI, IPMI and individual
fashion designers will present their work in a three-day fashion
show. The first two days will be exclusively reserved for world-
class buyers. The last day will be open to the public. Obviously,
this fashion show will be a golden opportunity for local fashion
designers.
"I'm personally pleased that APPMI is involved in this
exhibition. This means that our own annual show on fashion trends
will this year be part of this international exhibition," said
Taruna K. Kusmayadi, a fashion designer of APPMI.
He said that APPMI was the first organization Rantai had
contacted for the upcoming exhibition. "They presented to us the
concept of this event three months ago. We were interested in
participating because they showed serious interest in fashion
development in Indonesia and also because they will invite world-
class buyers like Top Shop from the United Kingdom and DKNY and
GAP of the United States," he noted.
Taruna of APPMI said that as many as 32 APPMI members had
registered to join the fashion show. They are, among others, Musa
Widyatmodjo, Dina Midiani, Raizal Rais, Poppy Dharsono and Dimas
Mahendra. Each designer will display 30 of their latest designs.
These designers have been preparing for this show for the past
three months now, Taruna said, adding that this time APPMI could
feel slightly relieved and therefore focus better on the design
work as they would not have to find sponsors for the show. The
Indonesian Fashion Week had provided them with all the necessary
facilities and APPMI members would be able to tap this golden
opportunity as best they could, he said.
IPMI, however, is not as lucky as APPMI as the organizing
committee did not contact IPMI designers until about two weeks
ago. Although they have had to prepare for their participation
rather hurriedly, Denny Wirawan of IPMI said, the invitation to
join the Indonesian Fashion Week is warmly welcomed. Nine IPMI
members, among whom are Stephanus Hammy and Era M. Soekamto, will
display their designs in a special show designated to introduce
favorite trends among IPMI members, he noted, adding that each
designer would feature about 20 designs.
Meanwhile, Ghea Panggabean and Prajudi Fashion House will get
an opportunity for a solo show, which will each feature 60 of
their latest fashionable designs.
The question that remains is whether the mission of Indonesian
Fashion Week 2001, a combination of fashion exhibition and
conference, to bring together textile producers, fashion
designers and garment exporters to face the globalized market
together will ever be realized. This is something that only the
players in the fashion industry can answer. As long as they work
professionally and understand the rules of the game in
international business transactions, it is likely that this great
ambition may become a reality.
One thing that is worth admiring is the effort to bring
together producers and buyers in the upcoming Indonesian Fashion
Week. This will be the first exhibition in Indonesia's fashion
history to substantially contribute to the promotion of the
country's fashion industry.(Asniar Sahab)