Nikicio - Arglye & Oxford x Goods: (Courtesy of The Goods Dept.)

The presence of various platforms gives Indonesian fashion labels much-needed exposure.

Indonesian fashion labels are gaining exposure thanks to various formal platforms.

Digital Fashion Week, held for the first time in Jakarta recently, shows the increasing impact of online growth and regional interest in the country’s fashion industry.

However, the commitment to supporting local brands is not limited to high-profile events.

Informal has always been the way to go in helping designers see business growth in an increasingly chaotic retail climate.

“Brands have been coming to us since the beginning to sit down over coffee and discuss how to get their product out and quality right. It’s always been informal,” said Chris Kerrigan, co-founder of The Goods Dept and Brightspot Market.

Fellow cofounder Leonard Theosabrata said out of the hundreds, or even thousands, they could only really nurture a handful because of their curation process. “We have to see who has the potential to keep up with our expansion and the growing market,” he says.

Nevertheless, co-founder Cynthia Wirjono revealed the company had thought of formalizing such mentorship, “We’re trying to formulate a channel with our vendors and that takes time to get right.”

Designers like Putri J. Ghariza of fashion label Aesthetic Pleasure still prefer an informal setting.

“I don’t really use the existing formal platforms because they’re rigid,” she admitted. “Its program structures don’t necessarily show how you can grow your brand. I think particularly in Indonesia, a less institutional setting has proven to be more fruitful.”

How local brands fair against international ones is a comparison the fashion industry is tired of having. ”After seven years of challenging this perception, we don’t want the conversation to be about that anymore,” Cynthia said. Leonard said today’s challenge was that people were traveling and seeing more. “When they come back to Indonesia they’re educated and want to see our answer to what they’ve seen abroad,” he said.

Evidently, consumers have shifted their concerns to product quality.

“The image of the brand is more relevant now [than its country origin],” explained by designer Tommy Tedji Ambiyo of Byo, a brand known for its bags. “I cannot change the old perception on local products that still lingers but what we can do as an Indonesian designer is to create the best product we can and the market will follow suit.”

Ultimately, products are still physical, which keeps designers optimistic in the era of digitalization. “People still prefer to touch and analyze what they’re buying first,” Tommy says.

Fashion designer Patrick Owen hinted at the human connection needed. “I love to engage with people who bother to take their precious time to study, touch, feel or experience an actual piece of my creation.”

E-commerce platforms, while offering convenience and transparency, has also spoiled the market with choice. It’s especially hurting traditional department stores — The Goods Dept’s new space at Pacific Place, South Jakarta stands where Metro used to be.

With rising costs of rent, the online phenomenon and increasingly segmented consumer groups
contribute to a difficult market.

The dilemma between succumbing to trends and keeping with one’s DNA is a challenge that fashion
designers see in both fellow peers and its stockists.

“I think most of us fail to evolve,” said Patrick, “We try very hard to catch up with times and what’s currently trending, but everyone ends up doing the same thing.”

Even last year, there were still plenty of gaps in the market, partly the reason for Goods Dept, which just celebrated its seventh anniversary, to launch its in-house labels — Anders for essential menswear and Verv for everything denim for women.

“It’s surprising there isn’t a single brand just doing denim for women,” said Cynthia, “The material alone goes with almost all of the other clothes we sell. We can’t just have edgy clothes.”

While it’s difficult to bring customers to the stores, the designers also pointed out a systematic flaw with the consignment system most retailers were still adopting.

“It’s very hard for us independent local brands because there will be so many dead stock left. The thing is, many use a wholesale system for international brands, so that’s not fair. I think that’s the first thing they have to change if they say they want to support us,” says Putri.

Designers are aware of the many options out there but, as Putri says, it’s harder to keep up because it’s very competitive.

Tommy, however, thinks it’s not fair for them to expect too much from the industry and consumers. “As designers, we just have to do the best work, and if we do, most of the time the industry and customers will respond positively with support and purchases.”

In the long run, the relationship between retailers and designers is vital to support the local industry.

“We do need the brands to grow with us. They have to understand us and we have to understand how they do things, in order to have symbiosis,” said Cynthia.

“If we can strike a win-win solution, the partnership will be a long term one and it will make the industry more sustainable,” explained Patrick.

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