There's nothing like a crisp uniform

Prodita Sabarini ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 05/11/2008 12:35 PM  |  Lifestyle

Uniforms are designed to be practical and durable; but they are also responsible for fashion genres, like schoolgirl and fast-food fashion

Classic designs that have evolved out of everyday uniforms include long military-style coats and cargo pants, as well as dresses inspired by flight attendants' or nurses' outfits.

Doctors, soldiers, pilots and bankers, to name but a few professions, wear uniforms to represent the image of their profession, as well as the companies they work for.

But a badly designed uniform can look boring and outdated. There is nothing worse than wearing an outfit, day in and day out, that does not fits one's personality, or body shape.

The good news is that local designers are no longer sacrificing fashion for function.

Textile company Textileone, which focuses on fabrics for uniforms, on Tuesday held a fashion show titled " A Special Moment With TextileOne".

Established designers Samuel Wattimena, Poppy Dharsono, Itang Yunasz, Musa Widyatmodjo, Dhanny Dahlan and Valentino Napitupulu showcased their designs for corporate uniforms in the show.

Uniforms for the banking sector, hospitals, airlines, hospitality, manufacturing, as well as governmental institutions were modeled, with representatives from each sector in the audience.

Clean cuts and A-line skirts with pleats dominated the uniforms from the banking sector, with muted colors, such as dark green and blue.

Samuel showed a uniform for banking: a dark blue waist-length kimono blazer, with wide flared sleeves."Keeping up with the current trends is only a minor consideration, the image of the company comes first. After all the uniforms last for at least five years, which is another thing to think about," Samuel said.

As part of the show, TextileOne featured its new line of fabric called Imago, which is waterproof and does not stain easily -- characters that are fundamental for fabrics for uniforms. "A company usually provides two sets of uniforms for their employees, so the uniforms will normally be washed two to three times a week. With this fabric, the uniforms will last longer," TextileOne product development manager Lisa said.

She said business was good as more companies were opening up, while established companies were growing. "The demand for uniforms is increasing," she said.

Samuel said his uniform division accounted for 40 percent of his total production.

TextileOne attempted to make the show interesting, starting it with a performance by dancers from EKI production. Dancing to swing music, the troupe wore the uniforms of different professions. There were security guards, a doctor, a flight attendant, a construction worker, and a nurse.

However, at two-and-a-half hours, the show went for way too long, kind of defeating the purpose of its "basic doesn't have to be boring" theme.

A  |   A  |   A  |    |   |    |    |    |  

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.