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View all search resultsLet's Wear Local
Courtesy of Andien Jazz singer Andien poses in Ikat IndonesiaName five local fashion brands that you have, or at least know
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Courtesy of Andien Jazz singer Andien poses in Ikat Indonesia
Name five local fashion brands that you have, or at least know. If you have to think hard, then something has to be done to make the country's fashion brands a power to be reckoned with.
Spain has Zara, Sweden has H&M and Japan has spread fashion fever with Uniqlo. What is Indonesia's 'it' brand?
Each year, the country hosts fashion weeks, showcasing designs from renowned designers and prominent brands.
Some ' like Ikat Indonesia's ready-to-wear line that promotes Indonesia's ikat woven motifs, Major Minor's modern cuttings, Iwan Tirta Private Collection's premium batik to Dian Pelangi's Islamic fashion creations ' have stolen hearts at home while making inroads into the international market.
Local celebrities boost the industry by posting images of themselves in these local brands on social media.
Jazz singer Andien, known for her admirable fashion sense, said that on many occasions, people thought she was wearing international brands when in fact, she was wearing local brands.
'It's about the ability to wear these and how proud you are in them. Many people still underestimate local products. They think they aren't as good as international brands. Well, they're simply wrong,' Andien says.
The singer's remarks were in support of the Let's Wear Local campaign recently launched by 5aSec Indonesia in collaboration with top Indonesian designers, like Didiet Maulana, Imelda Kartini, Yosafat Dwi Kurniawan, Albert Yanuar, Barli Asmara and Major Minor.
The campaign comes in the wake of concerns over people's lack of awareness of Indonesian brands, as revealed in a survey from October-December last year targeting people aged 25-40.
'Most people found it hard to name five local brands but had no problem naming five international ones,' 5aSec's head of marketing Fian Asfianti said during the campaign's recent launch in Jakarta.
'We're trying to make people proud to wear Indonesian fashion through this campaign.'
It takes two to tango ' in the fashion industry as elsewhere.
The Goods Dept, a Jakarta-based curated department store, has also joined the campaign. The store has been focusing its business on local products since 2010, with a current 80 percent local brands in its store.
The Goods Dept cofounder Cynthia Wirjono believes Indonesia, especially Jakarta, has a blossoming fashion industry.
Based on the store's experience in working with hundreds of local brands, she said, designers had improved their production quality, such as in collecting raw materials and supplying the goods to the company.
The store also has a list of popular brands that have drawn fanatic consumers.
'Cotton Ink is our star brand, as well as Nikicio. These two brands have loyal consumers,' said another cofounder Elda Wirjono, adding that her customers were willing to pay more for good quality products.
The store's customers usually go for products with prices ranging from Rp 200,000 to 300,000, while on its online store many did not hesitate to spend up to Rp 500,000 per shopping cart.
'Some foreigners that come to our stores will only purchase local brands, and they might buy up to three colors for each model,' said Elda.
Apart from producing high quality products, there is need for demand to make things work. And demand can be grown from of appreciation and support.
Designer Didiet Maulana pointed out the need to see a product as more than just as trend or an end product.
The founder of Ikat Indonesia cited ikat woven cloth as an example. Behind every piece of cloth, there is a complicated process and countless of people involved ' from seamstresses to pattern designers.
'Here, we're talking about a craftsman who makes ends meet for his family by weaving,' Didiet says. 'In a simple way, you might say, you help one person to feed his family by buying a local product that he makes.'
And to win recognition, he said it was important for the fashion industry to involve young people to wear and love local products since they were the country's future leaders. 'By wearing local products, the young will start to learn how big their nation is and they'll be proud of their own culture,' he says.
