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Yosafat Dwi Kurniawan: His great escape
(Courtesy of Jakarta Fashion Week)He never dreamed of becoming a designer
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(Courtesy of Jakarta Fashion Week) (Courtesy of Jakarta Fashion Week)
(Courtesy of Jakarta Fashion Week)
He never dreamed of becoming a designer. It was an alien profession to his family and other dwellers in the city, where having Internet was a luxury.
Born in Pekalongan, Central Java, the 24-year-old first learned about fashion during his high school years in Semarang, the province's capital located two hours from his hometown. There, he met and learned from Ai Ling, a pattern maker for a garment company, how to sew and make patterns for the first time. He looked upon her as his all-time fashion guru.
'I had no access to the fashion world because magazines like Dewi didn't reach Pekalongan. My window to the world was just from the news and the Internet ' even for the Internet I had no high speed connection at that time,' he said.
In the fourth year of his career as the man behind the Yosafat Dwi Kurniawan line, Yosafat earned recognition in Indonesian fashion industry.
He also made steps to break into the international market by participating in the Triangle Showroom, part of Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2014. The showroom displayed new, edgy collections. It was the second time Yosafat had participated in the fashion week.
'Fashion was and is still an escape for me,' he said, just days before he took off to Paris.
In 2007, he enrolled in LaSalle College's international fashion school in Jakarta and graduated as the best student two years later.
He spent another year working for various labels before starting his own line.
Yosafat admitted his parents had never supported his decision to be a fashion designer. 'But, it's OK. It just made me a stronger person. People say that you won't grow if you're spoiled. If you work really hard to reach your goal, you'll have that sense of belonging.'
For the Triangle Showroom, Yosafat, a former assistant to the established Indonesian designer Barli Asmara, brought several collections adorned with the mega mendung batik motif.
Yosafat said he wanted his brand to have good grounding and develop in time so he didn't feel the need to rush to have his own show in Paris. Nevertheless, his work was featured in China Fashion Week Fall 2009 in Beijing.
'I'd like to grow my brand on my own. I believe the brand will find its way,' he said.
Besides being a fashion designer, Yosafat is also lecturing at his alma mater. In a week, he is scheduled to teach classes twice a week. 'Giving lectures to LaSalle students is my way of giving back,' he explained.
Yosafat said his weeks were busy, with him spending time growing his brand and giving lectures.
At his studio, Yosafat said he worked closely with his production team.
'I'm the kind of designer who loves the construction process of a collection. You won't see me just do some drawings and then giving them to a pattern person,' said the fan of Spanish designer Cristobal Balenciaga.
'I like to do a little research on techniques. I also do fabric shopping,' added Yosafat, who loves to infuse the Indonesian identity with his international-taste drawings.
Within the next 10 years, Yosafat hopes he will be able to follow Biyan Wanaatmadja's success story. Biyan is a prominent Indonesian high fashion designer.
'I'd like to be like Biyan by then, having stores and access to the international market. It doesn't have to gigantic. It'd be great for me if I could have a presence acknowledged both locally and internationally,' said Yosafat.
