JP/Melissa Umbro Teetzel

Elaborate kebaya and traditional batik crossed paths on the runway with cocktail dresses and casual urban clothing as Yogyakarta hosted the fourth Jogja Fashion Week (JFW) at the palace from Aug. 5 to Aug. 9.

Organized by the Yogyakarta Agency for Trade and Industry Promotion, JFW 2009 adopted the theme “Boedaja [Culture] in Motion”. Showcased during the event was the work of 55 designers from the Central Java towns of Surakarta, Pekalongan and Tegal; Riau; the South Kalimantan town of Banjarmasin; and Yogyakarta.

The governor of Yogyakarta, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, officially opened JFW 2009 at an invitation-only event at Pagelaran Hall on Tuesday evening.

In his speech, the sultan expressed hope that this year’s event would promote local culture through the use of textiles and traditional motifs from ethnic groups across Indonesia.

“History shows that our ancestral textile makers were influenced by foreign designers, particularly from China, India and Arab and European countries, through trade relations hundreds of years ago,”
he said.

These trade relations, he added, had enriched Indonesia’s cultural heritage, especially its textiles.

The first fashion show, “Fragile Poetry”, featured evening gown collections from 13 designers, most of whom incorporated batik. Three of the designers originated from Pekalongan, a city in the northern coastal area of Central Java known for its brighter batik with striking patterns, although the designs on this occasion incorporated softer, romantic tones.

Designers also introduced variations of kebaya, as this style is traditionally considered formal dress. One of them, Stanley HT, a designer for Mirota Batik, found inspiration in the casual dresses worn by Evita Peron for his collection titled “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina”.

Designers explored cultural themes ranging from wayang to Egyptian legends under the umbrella theme of “Tribal Essence” on the second evening, which included pieces inspired by Srikandi (one of Arjuna’s five wives) and Cleopatra.

Designer Tomy Tri Wahyudi captured the grandeur of the Mahabharata as retold in wayang stories.
“I am inspired by the Mahabharata because I specialize in kebaya pengantin [wedding kebaya], which are essentially Javanese,” he said.

“I am looking for the effects of colors from wayang because it has been widely accepted in Java. Its colors, in my opinion, give it an avant-garde effect.”

Fellow designers in the “Tribal Essence” section also experimented with color and familiar fabrics.

Sugeng Waskita, in his collection “Jogja Via Bali”, diverged from the classical and experimented with the tropical for a series of cocktail pieces that were dominated by red hues complemented by yellow.

Designer Astrid Ediati offered lurik, a striped fabric commonly associated with years gone by, as a contemporary and fashionable option for young people.

In addition to the evening fashion shows, JFW 2009 included an exhibition of textiles and crafts, a carnival along Yogyakarta’s iconic Malioboro street, and design contests.

Prominent public figures became models for a night during the opening event on Tuesday. Among the models was the mayor of Yogyakarta, Herry Zudianto, whose runway performance sent waves of laughter through the audience.

He also has a personal stake in fashion as the owner of batik stores across the city.

While some designers said they chose to design for personal satisfaction or creative expression alone, others were candid about the need to cater to the demands of domestic and foreign markets, particularly at a time when the world is experiencing a financial downturn.

Organizers of JFW 2009 noted that the website for Bali Fashion Week has announced the Balinese event has been postponed until an unspecified time because of the effects of the global financial downturn.

In 2008, the export market for textiles and textile products, such as clothing, accounted for 40 percent of all of Yogyakarta’s exports.

However, as the sultan noted, exports have declined because of decreasing overseas demand.
In drawing attention to the campaign called “100% Cinta Indonesia” or “Love Indonesia 100 Percent”, he encouraged attendees to support local designers and promote domestic trade
and industry.

Addressing the press and designers, the chairman of the Indonesian Fashion Designers’ Association (APPMI), Taruna K. Kusumayadi, commented on the need to appeal to audiences around the world as well. He said many of the designs in JFW 2009 were still too “local” and urged the designers to continue to use local textiles and materials, but with global preferences in mind.

In response to Taruna’s comments, Ninik Dharmawan from APPMI’s Central Java branch noted that the event is expected to help create better positioning for local designers.

“Fashion in Bali might be for export, and fashion in Jakarta for mass production,” he said. “Fashion in Yogyakarta should be different.”

For Afif Syakur, another APPMI local board member, JFW 2009 gave local designers a good start for going national and hopefully eventually global.

“I know we still have to work harder to make Yogyakarta Indonesia’s center of fashion, but at least Yogyakarta will be another fashion trendsetter in this country, and it will also promote valuing local culture,” he said.

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