What does one 'wear' during the economic crisis?
JAKARTA (JP): The economic abyss into which the country has fallen has destroyed numerous businesses and has brought even more to the verge of bankruptcy. The unemployment rate continues to rise and rapid inflation is gnawing relentlessly away at people's incomes.
The fashion business has not remained free from the vagaries of the crisis.
Many in the fashion business have been forced to turn to locally-made material since the rupiah's free fall against the U.S. dollar sent prices of imported goods soaring beyond the financial means of most entrepreneurs in the country.
This is what people had to say about how the economic crisis has affected their choice of clothes.
Ingrid Widjanarko, a businesswoman in the entertainments industry:
I have never been crazy about brand names, but I do take an interest in colors and design. My idea of dressing up is always to mix-and-match, so it was never a question of buying new clothes every other week.
I have always preferred sporty and fancy designs. But whatever I buy from the boutiques here, it always bears the boutique's name on the tags ... no actual brand. This perhaps means that the items were bought in some cheap market in Hong Kong and are being sold here at much higher prices.
Yes, I do have Dolce Gabbana and Versace Jeans, but my favorite pair is something I picked at a fleamarket in Freemantle, Australia ... that's four hours by car from Perth.
I used to buy Esprit, Guess and Emporio Armani simply because I suffer from occasional lapar mata (hungry eyes), but then I never used to wear any of those clothes. So now I try to stick to buying clothes that I know I will wear. For me they have to be stylish and sporty, and it does not matter if they do not carry a brand name. It has reduced my spending to Rp 1 million a month.
Sys N.S., manager of Radio Muara Indonesia:
Let's put it this way. Say, I used to buy five outfits a month before the crisis. Now, it is just one. I usually wear Perry Elis and Valentino shirts, Versace and Hugo Boss Jeans and Versace neck-ties.
Today, I only buy clothes when I find them really attractive. I still wear the same brands, but my wife probably goes shopping for them once every three months, and she uses the (credit) card, not cash.
Debby Sahertian, TV series director
Before the crisis, I used to buy Prada, Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent handbags, and Linea and Charles Jordan shoes. Now I have shifted to local brands like Cherry shoes, or even stylish sandals from Bali.
I always get my evening gowns from Ghea Panggabean's, Itang Yunasz's and Biyan's collections. I still wear their old stuff that cost between Rp 100,000 and Rp 750,000.
Lulu Dewayanti, model:
I don't have a favorite fashion designer. Sometimes I buy clothes from overseas designers when I am abroad, simple apparel... things like blazers.
Most of the time, I go to Mangga Dua shopping center in Jakarta for my day to day needs. What is important for me is that the clothes are nice and comfortable. Famous brands are not important to me.
If I really need clothes for a special occasion, I usually just go to Metro (department store), but again, I am not a brand- minded person. I just look for clothes that are simple, nice and appropriate for the occasion.
I usually buy footwear and garments when I am abroad, but this financial turmoil has forced me to reduce the frequency of my shopping sprees.
I would say that domestic designers are very competitive now, meaning they can be as well qualified as those overseas. I understand that certain tailors are able to make blazers just as well as Armani.
I think their prices will eventually increase and I dare say that demand will drop off.
Gladys Suwandhi, artist:
I've been wearing local designers' products since about six years ago. My husband has turned to Nicholas Edo, a local designer, too.
In the past, I would buy international brands while I was abroad. I chose casual designs because they could hardly be found in Indonesia.
But now I have to think more than twice before buying clothes when I am abroad because things have become so expensive in this financial crisis. In any case, I've not been abroad this year.
It's a good thing I bought dozens of pairs of my favorite classical model shoes long before the financial crisis hit Indonesia.
In my opinion, local designers are good. I think in some cases, designers are still using imported materials so their prices are high. But I believe they have the means to compete with overseas designers.