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Jakarta Fashion Week kicks off
Local fashion designers along with Australian counterparts will showcase their work at the Jakarta Fashion Week from Thursday to Saturday
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Local fashion designers along with Australian counterparts will showcase their work at the Jakarta Fashion Week from Thursday to Saturday.
Forty-seven local designers, ranging from household names Poppy Dharsono and Priyo Oktaviano, to new rising stars, will exhibit designs in 15 shows to be held Thursday and Friday at the Pacific Place shopping center.
The famous Australian designer, Akira Isogawa, will have his turn on Saturday together with three others: Jayson Brunsdon, Eileen Kirby and Aime Cristie.
The shows, reflect themed sessions including Muslim wear, ethnic, evening, cocktail, modern, temporary and classic styles.
"We do not showcase competition dresses. We showcase wearable beautiful and detail-filled clothes," Tanudi Kusmayadi, the chairman of the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association, said.
"What differentiates our designers from others are the designs initiated from our culture and our east-meets-west environment. We reflect a wide range of our own cultures without reference to international fashion, although we still follow some international practices such as the treatment of materials," he added.
He said the participants were selected based on their potential to go international and their participation in previous events.
"We also give opportunities to those who have not participated before or do not have the resources to hold their own fashion show," he said.
The event is organized by the media group Femina, APPMI, Indonesian Fashion Designers Association (IPMI) and Jakarta's Tourism Office.
The organizers said the event was not mature yet and may take a few years to become more commercialized.
"Ultimately we want it to grow to the point that buyers will come to the event. But this time, it is targeted to consumers only. We concentrate first on building the synergies between fashion industry players," Svida Alisjahbana, the Chief Operating Officer of Femina Group, said.
"This is a good start as we have invited many foreign reporters to the event, which potentially will put the event and Indonesia's fashion industry onto the international radar," she added.
The head of Jakarta's Tourism Office Arie Budiman said this year government's support was still limited to the marketing of the event, but this might be upgraded in future to more concrete action in supporting the wider fashion industry.
"This is not only a standalone event. We hope it will help integrate the entire industry -- whether textile, apparel or garment -- so that the event will help create a bigger future market," he said.
Aime Cristie, one of the Australians, said she was pleased be invited and would share some *love and gratitude' through her designs. (mri)
