Young designers head for the top

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 05/20/2007 8:04 AM  |  Life

Sascha Pries, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

What is the result of a one-year scholarship with ESMOD Jakarta?

The answers to this question could be seen at the 4th Gading Young Designers Award 2007 (GYDA) contest, held May 14 as part of the Jakarta Fashion & Food Festival 2007.

The results were anything but conventional.

The designers' creations ranged widely, moving between casual wear, evening gowns and more rigid work suits.

However, all of the clothes incorporated modern lifestyle and had very particular characteristics, which distinguished them from off-the-rack items you might see in Zara, Guess or elsewhere.

Some of the designs were rather fancy and eccentric, which at least raised the question of their utility on an everyday basis.

Each artist was allowed to present two designs. Only designs for women's clothes were submitted, although this was not a precondition for taking part in the contest.

The 10 upcoming designers that won a scholarship with ESMOD in the contest last year had to face a jury of two women and three men, all of whom are experienced in the fashion business.

After an hour of rising tension, in which the jury tried to agree on the winners, Intan Ayundavirra was placed first with her collection ""Feeling This"". She was followed by Fabio Ricardo Toreh, the only male participant, who presented his collection ""Life in Mono"".

A special prize was awarded to Melissa and her collection ""Miss Bean"".

In contrast to last year's awards, this year only two winners were chosen. The prize includes a two-year extension of the scholarship with ESMOD. The entire three-year scholarship amounts to an enormous sum of Rp 186 million for each of the winners in total.

Member of the jury and chairman of the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association (APPMI) Taruna K. Kusmayadi said the GYDA was a means to support the offspring of fashion design, giving young designers a forum to present their work to the public.

The bigger event, the Jakarta Fashion and Food Festival in which the GYDA was embedded, has a broader aim.

A Mal Kelapa Gading public relations officer said ""we're trying to make La Plazza (in Gading) the center of food and fashion in Jakarta.""

This may be somewhat over-ambitious, given the relatively remote location of the mall in the north of the city.

Nevertheless, another platform for (young) designers is a good way to maintain cultural and artistic diversity in the capital.

caps: A: Intan Ayundavirra (2nd from right) and Fabio Ricardo Toreh (2nd from left) hold their awards while posing for the press with their designs ""Feeling This"" and ""Life in Mono"".

B: Third place Melissa was applauded by one of her models wearing her design ""Miss Bean"".

C: The winning design ""Feeling this"" by Intan Ayudavirra.

D: Both models of the second place design ""Life in Mono"" by Fabio Ricardo Toreh.

E; A model presenting one piece of Fabio Ricardo Toreh's ""Life in Mono"".

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