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span class="inline inline-left">His creations have been worn by world-famous celebrities like Demi Moore and even by Kenzo — his favorite designer.

But a passion for fashion is still hot and burning inside the heart of talented designer Oka Diputra.

“In my next collection, I will highlight the cultures of Thailand, Indonesia and China under the ‘Tribal’ theme,” he said during an interview at a cafe in Bali, his home.

“I find that the cultures of the three countries have a lot in common. I will be showcasing my designs early next year at the Indonesian Fashion Week.”

When he talked, his eyes sparkled, sharing his enthusiasm, while his warm smiles and friendliness brightened up the atmosphere.

Oka is one of Bali’s noted talents in the fashion scene, having started from scratch to become the way he is today.

Demi Moore once visited his shop in Ubud and spent about US$5,000 on clothes and home accessories for her and her relatives.

One thing that he considers as his biggest achievement is having Kenzo — his favorite designer — wear his creations.

“The feeling was not like I am proud of it, but it’s more like finally I have done the right thing. He is my favorite designer and he wore my design.”

The Balinese designer was born and raised in East Java’s capital, Surabaya, but left the city after high school to study interior design at the Bandung Institute of Technology in West Java.

But since Bandung was quite far for him, he transferred to Udayana University in Bali.

Arriving in Bali, his path in life was about to change.

After falling in love with Ubud, Oka decided to move to this artisan town, although it meant he had to take public transport to his campus in Nusa Dua.

There were times when he had to do his homework on public transportation, spending his whole afternoon on campus and returning at night.

It was then that his path to fashion opened up.

“I never had new clothes when I was a kid,” he says. “But I loved restoring old ones and got many compliments for what I did.”

Then came the time when his friends asked him whether they could get the clothes he created.

“So I was thinking, why don’t I try this business,” he says.

Oka never meant to become a fashion designer. His first intention was just to open a boutique, which he did in 1994 on Jl. Monkey Forest.

At that time, Oka’s boutique immediately attracted attention for its attractive concept.

Oka said that to open the shop he had to borrow $3,000 from his adoptive mother, who lived in New York.

“The money was quite a big amount for me at that time. I wasn’t sure when I could pay the loan back. But surprisingly, I could pay it back in full within six months.”

Having opened a shop on one of Bali’s busiest tourist streets, Oka soon learned to develop designs that were suitable for tourists.

Oka said that tourists, with limited time to stay, prefer something easy to wear. In his creations, he avoids zippers and buttons, choosing to play with lines which he thought could fit any size. The style soon became his signature.

“My first collections were only for men because basically I designed only for myself. But my friends said that I should learn making women’s clothes simply because they spend more than men,” Oka said.

He then bought women’s clothes to help him learn patterns.

“I had a personal tailor in that time, who was very nice and patient in teaching me everything,” Oka says.

“I could only make simple designs, that’s why I used lines and ropes much. But I later found the style very useful for tourists, since it’s simple and easy to wear.”

His road to fashion opened up in 2000 when he hosted his very first fashion show.

The show was featured by Dewi magazine, which was the only magazine attending his show, and soon, Oka launched his career.

His boutiques flourished. He has three stores: in Ubud, in Kuta as well as in Jakarta.

Opening a boutique in Kuta opened up more retail opportunities.

He expanded his business, putting his pieces in many department stores and boutiques across the globe.

Oka said he is currently focusing on his boutique in the Kuta Galleria shopping mall, while working on consignment with several outlets in Indonesia and Singapore.

He also designs uniforms for many upscale hotels, such as the Bulgari Bali Resorts and The Legian, and supplies other fashion labels in Thailand, Korea and France.

But it was not always smooth and easy.

Oka had to deal with hard time after the 2002 Bali bombing.

“At that time, I was heavily relying on retail. It was hard because in retail, you put the things on display and you have the money right away,” recalled.

“But when the bombing happened, everything was gone. It was hard, but I got through that by focusing on wholesale.”

In his line of work, Oka seeks inspiration from many places, including from his frequent trips or scuba diving, the things he loves to do on holiday.

Oka’s favorite diving spot is in Jemeluk in Bali, the place, which he thinks is rich in biodiversity.

For him, scuba diving gives him time to release pressure and see colorful underwater life.

Oka said seeing rich colors under water, the different forms of sea creatures and the way fishing communities live inspires him.

His other passion is culture, and especially traditional fabrics like tenun (woven cloth) and batik.

He has played with traditional fabrics, using them for his deluxe collection along with fabrics from other Asian countries.

But batik, he said, was his favorite.

He said he loved to use the expensive fabric to give a comfortable feel to his customers.

Borrowing words from his favorite designer, Kenzo, he said that luxury is not what you see, but what you feel.

In practice, he uses expensive batik for linings, but often makes the clothes reversible, so they can wear the batik inside out.

For Oka, batik is Indonesia’s heritage that should be appreciated.

He himself does not have the heart to cut batik fabric, only folding or twisting it — keeping it its original shape.

“Let’s not forget the fact that it takes plenty of time and energy to make batik. It’s very sacred since it requires a long process to have it done. It deserves appreciation.”

— Photos by Intan Tanjung