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Jakarta Post

A pandemic is not going to deter Fashion Revolution ID from happening

Inforial (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, April 30, 2021

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A pandemic is not going to deter Fashion Revolution ID from happening

D

espite the world still battling the Covid-19 pandemic, Indonesian emerging sustainable fashionistas and fashion brands have united to celebrate sustainable fashion designs and recognise women’s empowerment initiatives in the Indonesian textile sector.

Fashion Revolution is a global fashion activist movement sparked in reaction to the tragedy at the Rana Plaza factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It dates back to April 24 2013, when the factory making garments of various known fashion brands collapsed, killing 1,134 people and leaving thousands more injured. Most of the victims were young female workers in garment factories located in the building.

Deemed the worst ever industrial incident to hit the garment industry, the tragedy captured the world’s attention, which led to the birth of Fashion Revolution Week to remember the tragedy and as a call to the fashion industry to improve working conditions across the global textile value chain.

Fashion Revolution Week, advocated by more than 100 countries, is celebrated every year across multiple countries. Jakarta Fashion Hub collaborated with Closed Loop Fashion and Fashion Revolution ID to host the event in Jakarta this year, organising a series of offline events on April 23 while adhering to health protocols.

Initiated by Asia Pacific Rayon (APR), the Jakarta Fashion Hub operates as a collaborative space to help fashion producers in Indonesia connect, collaborate and create and inspire the growth of a sustainable textile industry.

Diverse activities during Fashion Revolution ID

The Fashion Revolution event in Jakarta saw diverse activities happening throughout the day, from sustainable fashion workshops and a fashion bazaar to a showcase of brands and a webinar on initiatives supporting women’s empowerment in the textile industry.

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The one-day event featured two workshops: an eco-printing technique with Inen Signature and an upcycling workshop to make aprons and tote-bags hosted by Threadapeutic. Both workshops utilised natural materials and minimised waste, which bodes well for sustainable fashion in the future.

There was also a Fashion Bazaar, with four local brands: Inen Signature, Danev’s, EUREKA, and Kivee. The brands showcased viscose-rayon fabric collections using biodegradable materials.

Visitors had the opportunity to witness contemporary fashion collections from local brands like Love Stories Bali, Topiku, Thread to Fabric, Setali Indonesia, KaIND, Torajamelo, Creative Kitchen, Mycotech, Control New, Pable, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Bina Nusantara University, and Maranatha Fashion University.

Several brands on display support women empowerment programmes across Indonesia. TORAJAMELO, for example, showcased a typical Toraja women clothes collection in pastel, a design heritage from North Sulawesi. Established in Toraja in 2008, the brand focuses on promoting female weavers from the community, using the gedhog weaving technique. That way, they can make an income while working from home, caring for their family.

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Women speak on empowerment through textiles

The call for sustainable fashion and empowering women in the sector is increasingly loud and clear. A panel of women involved in various initiatives supporting women shed light on the issues through a virtual discussion themed “Women Empowerment through Textiles” on April 23.

Vice President Communication & Sustainability at Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) Cherie Tan highlighted examples where APR supports community development initiatives empowering women to access health and maternal services and skills and training in developing textile craftsmanship in the region.

She said that APR produces natural viscose-rayon fibre originating in Indonesia and supports the sustainable fashion movement in Indonesia that is sourced from certified wood plantations in Indonesia and made to the highest manufacturing standards backed with certification.

Cherie explained that APR advocates women empowerment, providing women in the community with sustained livelihood options and equal employment opportunities for female graduates from the region. The company is also actively promoting and conserving Riau Province’s cultural legacy, namely Bono Batik and batik artisanship through batik women’s cooperatives.

 “APR is working with women groups throughout Pelalawan and Siak- supporting and empowering female entrepreneurs by enhancing textile craftsmanship and upskilling, such as making batik with unique motifs and songkat weaving. We facilitated training incorporating natural dye and viscose fabric,” she explained.

Additionally, APR supports integrated health services in surrounding communities and has replicated maternal and nutrition programmes for mothers and toddlers under the age of five.

The panel featured gender experts working to build an ecosystem of sustainable fashion in the country and initiatives to empower women in the value chain.

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The Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) textile design lecturer Bintan Titisari underscored the importance of supporting traditional textile producers through access to finance and education to preserve traditional aspects of textile craftsmanship.

Through her research on dying techniques that the local textile industry utilises, she found that green facilities are scarcely available to textile producers.

The founder of Closed Loop Fashion, Marina Chahboune, who has been working to promote sustainable fashion and women empowerment, gave the big picture overview of the textile industry, highlighting that every point in the industry affected women empowerment.

According to Chahboune, the situation in the textile industry varies from one country to another. “In Turkey, for example, you will only find male garment workers. But in Bangladesh, workers are majority women. There is a massive problem on gender equality facing women workers worldwide,” Chahboune said.

She also highlighted the social problem arising for female garment workers, especially with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Marina, many female workers got laid off last year, leaving them jobless. “They are low-wage workers with no savings and also no social security net. The government should step in and advocate for fair living wages for women workers to be raised and allow them to meet their monthly living needs,” Chahboune said.

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