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In the fashion industry there is an obligatory circuit that all the fashion ones have to follow, that includes putting in appearances at the fashion weeks of Rio de Janeiro, New York, Paris and Milan. However from now on, connoisseurs of fashion and the clothing industry will have to include a new stop on the circuit: the Indonesian Festival of Fashion and Fashion Week in Jakarta.
Fashion offerings from Asian countries are not well known in the west. This part of the world is best known for its advances in the fields of technology and architecture, and for its business initiatives, and has become the world’s latest economic giant. However, it is also a fact that while the big Asian tigers have been showing off their economic potential to the world, their domestic fashion and clothing industries have been undergoing significant development, and now they want to show them off to the world.
And this is exactly what happened during the fashion event that took place in Indonesia from 20th to 24th August this year. This was a collaborative effort between the Government represented by the Ministry of Commerce and private enterprise represented by the Femina publishing group, which is owner of the region’s most important fashion and lifestyle magazines, the multinational Sunsilk and Pacific Place, Jakarta’s most exclusive commercial center.
Its mission was very clear: to put on the best runway show in South East Asia, where local and international designers had the chance not only to show off their best creations, but also to exchange ideas and enter into business ventures to give a boost to the region’s fashion industry, which has already been producing some interesting numbers.
According to data from Indonesia’s Ministry of Commerce, the contribution to the country’s GDP made by the creative industries from 2002 to 2006 totaled 79,000 trillion rupiahs (the official currency). The greatest contributor to this sum was the fashion industry with 23,608 trillion rupiahs (28.76 %), followed by arts and crafts (17,952 trillion) and advertizing (14.532 trillion).
So this initiative to drive forward the development of the whole fashion industry production chain comes as no surprise. Neither does the Indonesian Government’s decision to include this Fashion Week in their “Enjoy Jakarta” campaign, which seeks to transform the city into a focal point for design and innovation, not just for Indonesia but for the whole Asian region.
The runway show that has just finished represented all the reasons why the city has everything it needs to deserve this description. Over the 4 day period, 47 designers showed more than 600 creations. Of these, 24 belonged to the Indonesian Association of Fashion Designers; 18 were members of the Indonesian Council of Fashion Designers, one entered as an independent and four others were from Australia.
The white runway inside the 500 square meter marquee erected within Pacific Place was full of color and new offerings, most of which reflected the influence of Asian culture in their design. The designs met with approval, not just from the 5,000 people who attended the event itself – including senior executives, investors, the social elite, movie stars and models – but also the general public.
Both individuals and the international media will become familiar with the names of designers like Stefanus Hamy, Taruna Kusmayadi, Valentino Napitupulu, Defrico Audy, Chossy Latu, Hengki Kawilarang, Rusli Tjohnardi, Harry Ibrahim, Syahreza Muslim and Jeanny Ang. These designers were the first to be chosen to show Indonesian fashion to the world, and we are sure to be seeing their work on other international runways soon. However, for now the Indonesian Festival of Fashion and Jakarta Fashion Week have been the only opportunities to see their designs. |
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