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span class="inline inline-left">Ramli: (Kapanlagi.com/Hendra Gunawan)The Indonesian fashion world is in mourning following the death of Ramli Sarwi Gozali Kartowidjojo, known as Ramli, the designer who was famous for capturing the beauty of local culture in his designs.

After battling colon cancer for more than three years, Ramli passed away on Wednesday morning at the Gading Pluit Hospital in North Jakarta. He was 58, and is survived by his foster daughter, Kiki.

The news of his passing shocked the fashion world. His dedication, creativity and kindness have inspired many. Models, designers, celebrities and other public figures were among the entourage that took his body from where it was laid at his residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta, to his last resting place.

Ramli was buried on Wednesday in Kuningan, West Java, next to his mother.

The chairman of the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association (APPMI), Taruna Kusmayadi, said that his creativity would be greatly missed in the fashion world.

“This is a great loss for our fashion world,” he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Ramli was born in Terempa, Anambas islands in Riau province on Nov. 1, 1954. He began his career as a designer in 1975, and never failed to include a touch of traditional culture in the detail of his designs.

When a doctor diagnosed him with stage-four cancer back in 2009, Ramli refused to give into it. Instead, he kept working and showing the world his best designs.

At his last show in November last year, organized to celebrate his 37th year in Indonesian fashion, he showcased dozens of creative designs that used fabrics from many regions in Indonesia, including traditional fabric from Anambas, his birthplace, and batik from Madura and Betawi.

Unlike during his previous shows, Ramli was seen sitting in a wheelchair in November, but he was still very much in control of what was to be his last show, which was held at the Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, Central Jakarta.

He was surrounded by his closest friends, some of whom even performed on the runway, including businesswoman and etiquette expert Mien Uno and senior models Enny Soekamto and Dian Tanjung.

Ramli’s passion for adding traditional touches to his clothes helped the development of regional small businesses. He often teamed up with local talents to produce the fabrics and embroidery for his clothes.

His consistency in always utilizing Indonesian culture earned him many awards, including the Upakarti award from former president Soeharto in 1990 for his efforts in preserving the national heritage, and the Adikarya Wisata from the Jakarta administration and the National Handicraft Council (Dekranas).

Ramli was also the recipient of the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) for being a pioneer in developing the nation’s kebaya embroidery.

During his fight against cancer, Ramli still had the chance to spread his love for fashion and culture by holding fashion shows abroad.

Ramli traveled to The Hague in the Netherlands, Hamburg in Germany and to Spain to show the world his creativity in 2011.

In the same year, Ramli released a biography penned by well-known biographer Alberthiene Endah. The 360-page biography covers his career and his fight against cancer, and includes testimonies from his friends.

Although Ramli is no longer around, the spirit of his creativity lives on.