After 11 years of building her name in Indonesia’s fashion ecosystem, Ayu Dyah Andari has finally made it. The designer presented her first solo fashion show at The Langham, South Jakarta, on March 14, establishing herself as a name to be reckoned with within the local fashion industry. More than 250 guests, mostly made out of the country’s social elite, filled the hotel’s ballroom for the show. 

“It’s every fashion designer’s dream to present their own fashion show,” Ayu said. “Alhamdulillah [thank be to God], I was able to do it after 11 years.” 

Presented under the theme Les Allées (The Lanes), the fashion show depicted the designer’s creative journey. Among the 60 looks presented in the afternoon were remakes of some of the best-selling items in her past collections, as well as Ayu’s latest designs.  

A house of roses 

“We’re how we were raised,” Ayu said, reminiscing about her childhood. 

Born in Palembang, South Sumatra, in 1986, Ayu grew up in a “house of roses”. 

“My mother used to decorate our house with a lot of roses,” she said. “They were everywhere; on the upholstery, bed sheets, dresses.” 

Ayu’s mother, also a fashion designer, tailored her children’s outfits herself.

“She designed a lot of [princess-like] dresses for me,” Ayu said. 

As soon as little Ayu could hold a pencil, she started drawing women wearing beautiful gowns. She also made dresses for her Barbie dolls from her mother’s leftover fabrics. 

But Ayu’s parents had envisioned a better career for their daughter.

As Ayu excelled in math, her parents encouraged her to take up engineering. She enrolled to study industrial engineering at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. And after graduating, she also realized her parents’ dream and worked in a multinational company in Jakarta. 

But Ayu was also keeping her dream alive. In her spare time, she designed and sewed her own dresses. The budding fashion designer wore these dresses to soirées and wedding parties, which was noticed by her friends and colleagues.

“They could definitely tell that my dresses were born out of passion,” she said. “As I’m not one to pass up opportunities, I immediately said that I could also make one for them.”  

Orders started pouring in from her friends and colleagues. And one day, Ayu realized that her income as a fashion designer had grown bigger than the monthly salary she was making from her office job. 

“I knew then it’s time to [fully] focus on my passion,” she said. 

In 2011, Ayu resigned from her day job. She then set up her first workshop in a 3 meter by 3 m room in her house in Cibubur, East Jakarta. In that rather small space, Ayu, a seamstress and two embroiderers worked day and night to fulfill their orders. 

“We had a second-hand sewing machine and an overlock machine to work with,” she said.  

To hone her skills, Ayu participated in Indonesia Fashion Week’s designers' competition in 2012 and came out as a finalist. In the competition, Ayu’s dress, which combined classic European design and Palembang’s golden songket (traditional handwoven textile), caught the attention of Liliana Tanoesoedibjo, chairwoman of Miss Indonesia Organization. And when the Miss World event was held in Bali in 2013, Ayu was chosen to dress six of the contestants. 

Going modest

“My dresses used to be very sexy and revealing,” the designer said. “But deep inside, I felt rather ashamed of them.” 

When Ayu started wearing hijab in 2014, she made a decision to only design modest wear. 

Ayu’s signature style remains ultra-feminine, with a touch of neo classic. Intricate embroideries and three-dimensional appliqués adorn her gowns. 

By word-of-mouth, Ayu’s small business grew.  Her luxury evening dresses have now become the favorite among Indonesian top celebrities and dignitaries.

But along with clients, designs that Ayu saw as copying her style became rampant. 

“Initially, I was furious,” the fashion designer said about seeing dresses similar to hers on social media and marketplaces. 

Being a perfectionist, it usually takes Ayu and her team many months to research, design and create samples for a new collection. 

“And yet, one week after we’ve launched, the same dress is already on Instagram and marketplaces in 12 different colors at only a 10^th of our price,” she said. 

Upon reflection, Ayu realized that so many people copy her because she is good. 

“Now if I don’t see people copying my dresses, I’d wonder what’s wrong,” she said with a laugh.   

Plummeting sales during the pandemic

When the pandemic COVID-19 happened, Ayu’s sales dropped. As parties and public gatherings were overruled, Ayu’s evening dresses were left hanging on the shelves. 

“I had 40 employees at that time,” she said. “Most of them were heads of the family. I wouldn’t let any of them go.” 

Ayu racked her brain in search of new ideas to float her business. 

The couturier then started designing casual prêt-a-porter (ready-to-wear) pieces for women, which mainly consists of daily blouses, outerwear, tailored skirts and pants. She also started producing women’s accessories, such as belts, brooches, handbags and scarves.

“Alhamdulillah, they sell very well,” she said. 

With these new items in her collections, Ayu did not only retain her old customers, but also gain new ones. 

“Before the pandemic, many could only admire my dresses as they could not afford them,” she said. “But when I launched my ready-to-wear, they started buying and wearing them.”

In two years of the pandemic, Ayu has not only retained all her employees, but also almost tripled their number. Today, she employs 110 workers in her workshop.   

Creative collaborations

In her first fashion show, Ayu also presented a ready-to-wear collection in collaboration with iconic supermodel Okky Asokawati. 

“Okky has been a legend and my mother’s muse,” Ayu said. “It’s really an honor for me to be able to collaborate with her.” 

Likewise, Okky also felt thrilled with the collaboration.

“Ayu’s mom was one of my fans,” Okky said during the press conference at The Langham on March 14. “I feel so excited to be able to collaborate with her daughter now.”  

According to Okky, Ayu’s classical style matches her elegant flair. 

Their collaboration collection comprises structured long coats, long tutu skirts and tailored pants. 

In the show, Ayu also presented her collaboration with fashion entrepreneur Sarah Sofyan. Their collection consists of loose-fitted casual items in vibrant hues of fuchsia, lime green, red and yellow. Stripe patterns and rose appliqués embellish the outfits. 

“Like Ayu, I’m also a mother of little kids,” Sarah said during the press conference at The Langham.  “I need outfits that allow me to move freely. And I’m also very happy that Ayu was open to my suggestion to introduce more colors in the collection.” 

Both collaboration collections are now available in Ayu’s boutiques in Jakarta, Surabaya in East Java, Padang in West Sumatra and Jambi. 

Amanah

After establishing her name in the industry, does Ayu also aim to go global? 

“There have been some offers [to set up a boutique abroad],” the designer said. “But right now, I really want to establish my business in the Indonesian market.” 

As the pandemic seems to be abating, Ayu confided that she has been receiving an enormous number of orders for Idul Fitri.

“We’ve closed PO [purchase orders] for Idul Fitri’s made-to-order dresses for now,” the mother of four said. 

“During Ramadan, I just want to be with my kids, read the Quran and focus on fulfilling all the orders that we’ve received,” she added. 

“For me, all these orders are amanah [trust].” 

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