Strike a pose: Models wearing Najua
Strike a pose: Models wearing Najua.Bellabaric by Najua Yanti pose for their finale walk.
Contrary to what right-wing pundits in the West might say, Muslim clothing is not just the black burqa that only leaves the eyes uncovered. Sometimes these garments come in light pink.
A recent fashion show featuring the founders of the HijabersMom Community was dedicated to hijab-wearing women.
Four out of the five founding members —Hannie Hananto, Irna Mutiara, Najua Yanti and Monika Jufry — presented their newest collections as part of the Muslim Fashion Festival held by the Indonesian Fashion Chamber in Jakarta.
Unlike regular Fashion Week, the four-day event has a trade show concept, with more than 200 participating brands.
And instead of the usual straightforward catwalk march, the designers themselves opted to perform a pseudo-drama before each of the models strutted down the catwalk.
While providing the designers with the opportunity for last-minute checks, the presentation also made for a livelier show; a win-win for designers and attendees alike.
EYE-CATCHING DESIGNS
Hannie Hananto took to the stage portraying herself as a designer, complete with a sewing machine and two assistants, who measured the models before sending them down the runway.
Hannie is known for her striking black-and-white designs, and her Anemone by Hannie Hananto brand is no exception.
Black and white stripes were seen on a wide range of garments, from tunics to blouses. To add a touch of the whimsical, Hannie used yellow sparingly, so as to not overpower the collection.
As well as yellow, the collection was also laden with prints illustrated by the designer herself. The prints were seen on both clothes and accessories, styled in a way that presents them as the focal point of the attire.
The final outfit was the most vibrant, with a yellow oversized cape dominating the ensemble, but allowing contrasting glimpses of graphic black-and-white.
MUTED MYSTERY
IM Syar’i by Irna Mutiara decidedly took to the other end of the color spectrum, favoring a muted coral pink amid monochromatic tones.
Titled “Utsubo-Sei”, which means toughness in Japanese, Irna’s collection combined Japanese minimalism and color blocking to suggest a sense of purity.
Whole ensembles were seen in ash gray, white and coral pink, contrasting with black details on the niqab and sleeveless gloves.
At first glance, the lack of colors could have thrown off those used to the brand’s more colorful offerings. But on second thought, the pre-Raf Simons’ Calvin Klein styling brought to mind a certain sense of dignity in its simplicity.
NEW YORK IN MIND
Najua.Bellabaric, one of Najua Yanti’s four brands, used the Big Apple as the main inspiration for her collection.
Najua took to the stage portraying an artistic director, complete with assistant and photographer, who directed the models as they posed and turned before walking down the runway.
Titled “Going Baby, Going to New York”, Najua interpreted the city that never sleeps through a color palette dominated by shades of gray.
It was not hard to pinpoint what the colors represented. The grays from the concrete jungle, yellow from the iconic taxis and shades of blue from the sky.
A deep navy tunic was seen with a vector print of the New York skyline, complete with the Statue of Liberty, as the literal landmark of the apparel.
That print was also seen on other ensembles, serving mainly as pocket decoration to complement the color block styling.
Also present was a clear raincoat, a confirmed trend for Spring/Summer 2018 made popular by Miu and Burberry.
GOING DEEP
The Sessa brand by Monika Jufry used terrariums as the main inspiration, adapting organic and geometric shapes into the collection.
Titled “Splash”, the collection utilized beige and grays as the foundation, with navy in geometric shapes cutting across the garments.
The crisscrossing geometric panels were readily apparent across the collection, used for short outerwear and maxi dresses.
From afar, the geometric shapes appeared to be printed on the clothes, but in actuality, they were small panels sewn together and embroidered painstakingly to create a whole garment.
To offset the sharp edges, Monika also used embroidered panels shaped like water droplets, with lightweight fabric flared out to create a more flowing silhouette. (jlm)
— Photos courtesy of MUFFEST
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