Fashion darling: Ivan Gunawan poses with one of the designs from his debut collection for the Indonesian Fashion Designers Council.

Fashion week has just finished and the last pieces of the tent have been disassembled, but designer Ivan Gunawan has yet to present his latest collection for the next season.

Turns out, it’s for a good reason. Ivan has just been inducted into the Indonesian Fashion Designers Council (IPMI), and will present his debut collection under the association’s wing on Nov. 6, opening IPMI’s annual Trend Show for the 2020 season.

“It’s because I am convinced that everything I believe will happen, will truly happen,” Ivan told The Jakarta Post when giving a sneak peek at his 25-look collection, which he titled “Believe”.

Notably, Ivan said the collection itself was also born out of his belief that he would be accepted into the ranks of IPMI and, as such, did not take inspiration from figures and destinations, as he had done in his previous collections.

“It came from what I felt, from introspection and what my heart said. Each look in the collection came one by one, not all at once. Once the material came in, I set out to make them individually, though I had an idea of what I wanted in terms of color.”

The “Believe” collection also marks Ivan’s experimentation with designing his own fabrics. The fabrics are classic Ivan Gunawan: glamorous, feminine and intricate.

He pointed out a gown’s fringe detailing: strips of lace, hand-sewn with sequins cascading down the back to complement the cutout details.

“There’s a factory in India that produced the fabrics; they’re not available in stores and truly made to order.”

Couture designs are a specialty of Ivan’s, as he further explained that he designed all of the clothes by draping fabric on the mannequin, as opposed to drafting patterns on paper, which is common for ready-to-wear items.

“In total, I made the collection in four months, and in the last two months I sometimes worked on the model’s actual body,” he said, adding that the design elements were inspired by stones and crystals.

Though you would normally see him on your TV screens hosting variety shows, Ivan has 15 years’ experience in the fashion industry, and certainly has the acumen to go with it.

Ready to roll: A sample of Ivan Gunawan's 25-look collection, titled “Believe”, is displayed ahead of his show on Wednesday.

Along with his eponymous label, which mostly consists of red carpet eveningwear, Ivan has also branched out into other sections of the fashion industry with his lower priced diffusion labels: Mandjha for women’s modest wear, Khalif for menswear and Minime for children.

Lately, Ivan has also made a move into the beauty industry with his label Ivan Gunawan Cosmetics. Having launched two years ago, the line is now available at Watsons outlets across the nation, and will be the official makeup for IPMI Trend Show 2020.

Ivan said designing mass produced clothing would be harder for him, as he would have to purchase the fabrics in a large quantity so as to determine the cost and selling point. He said he never needed to worry about cost when working on his couture designs, which granted him more room for creativity.

“I can make something regardless of how much it costs. For example, with a look from this line I can spend Rp 30 million [US$2,144] in materials before factoring in the sale price,” he said.

“For my first label, it’s like an investment in creating my masterpieces, though it’s also made to be sold as well. I don’t want to create something that can’t be worn, so if you look at the garments, the silhouettes are also classic and simple.”

Though he will present the collection at an event showcasing next season’s trends, Ivan believes personal style will always be on trend.

“Personal style must always be upheld, and anything that screams ‘trendy’ isn’t going to be on trend. If you want to buy a fashion item, it has to be statement of what you truly like,” he said.

Ivan’s induction into IPMI is also noteworthy in that he did not apply to join. Instead, the council decided he was a good fit.

Head of IPMI Tri Handoko told the Post in a separate interview the council had always chosen its members very carefully, so as to maintain a level of quality over quantity.

“Not every designer can become a member even if they so desire. [...] What’s interesting about Ivan Gunawan is his dedication and consistency, we can see he is really passionate about fashion as well as hardworking and willing to organize, so I think we made the right decision,” Tri said. (ste)

Photos courtesy of Muara Bagdja Team