Indonesian fashion designer Denny Wirawan celebrates his career’s 25th anniversary and makes wishes for the future. 

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wrote. But that single step is also made of a thousand dreams, determination and hours of working hard and willing yourself to move forward despite all odds. 

For Indonesian fashion designer Denny Wirawan, the first brave step in his career was in Jakarta in 1996. 

“I launched my first label in 1996,” Denny said in an interview with The Jakarta Post before his fashion show in the InterContinental Hotel Jakarta on Sept. 28. “Since then, I’ve continued stepping forward, processing and learning.” 

On that day, the designer presented a trunk show celebrating 25 years of his career in the hotel’s grand ballroom. Themed Langkah (Step), the show featured Denny Wirawan’s spring/summer 2023 collection. 

The ballroom brimmed with Indonesian celebrities and crème de la crème attending the show. 

“A fashion show always looks glamorous,” Denny said. “But there’s a lot of sweat and tears behind it. And I’ve had a lot [of sweat and tears] within 25 years of my career.” 

‘Bondho Nekat’

The Bali-born designer spent most of his formative years in Surabaya. It was also in this city that Denny’s passion for fashion was born. 

As a young boy, Denny loved hanging around his mother’s hair salon and perusing stacks of fashion magazines provided for the customers. Intrigued by the models posing elegantly in the magazines, the little boy imagined himself as the designer and started sketching beautiful outfits for them. 

Through practice, Denny improved his skills. During high school, Denny designed outfits for his friends and family and had them made by tailors. 

After finishing high school in 1986, Denny enrolled at the prestigious Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), planning to major in fashion and textile design. 

“I didn’t pass the entrance test,” Denny said with a chuckle. “Twice.” 

But Denny did not dwell on his failures. Convinced of his talents, Denny then participated in a fashion design competition by an international thread company in Surabaya.

A friend introduced Denny to the owner of a textile shop in Plaza Surabaya, a high-end shopping mall in the city, who then agreed to sponsor him and provide all the necessary fabrics for the competition. 

The aspiring designer came out as a runner-up in the competition. And when Denny returned to the shop to thank the owner, he received a job offer. 

“I was very young and inexperienced,” Denny said, his voice trailing off in a surge of emotions. “But [the owner] already trusted me to work in his shop.” 

In the textile shop, Denny was assigned to design custom-made outfits for the clients. 

“I remember my hands trembling when I first sketched a dress in front of the customer,” he said. 

Denny worked and honed his skills in the textile shop for four years. 

In 1991, the young designer tried his hands at another fashion design competition. Held by Femina magazine, Denny competed against thousands of creative fashion talents from all over the country in the competition. 

“I came out as a finalist but felt like a loser as I didn’t win [the competition],” he said. 

Denny then scrutinized all the winners in the competition. He discovered that most of them studied at LPTB Susan Budihardjo (Susan Budihardjo’s Fashion School), one of the best fashion schools in the country at that time. 

Denny decided to also study at the school to become an accomplished fashion designer. 

In 1992, Denny resigned from the textile shop and moved to Jakarta to start studying at LPTB Susan Budihardjo. 

“As someone that was raised in Surabaya, I guess I’m equipped with bondho nekat [bravery that comes from being desperate],” Denny said with a laugh.   

But bravery alone is never enough. To survive in the capital, Denny had to look for a job. 

“It was like déjà vu,” he said. “A friend introduced me to Prajudi [Admodirdjo], who was looking for an assistant designer at that time. He didn’t mind that I’d just started my fashion study. All that he cared about was that I could sketch.” 

Prajudi Admodirdjo was a renowned fashion designer in Indonesia between the 1970s and 1990s. Among his clients was Indonesian second president Soeharto and his family. 

Prajudi did not only employ the novice designer as his assistant but also entrusted him with his new ready-to-wear label, Bianglala. 

“It’s become an invaluable lesson for me, especially as I plan to establish my fashion brand,” Denny said. 

Prajudi passed away in 1995. And a year later, Denny resigned from the atelier and established his brand. 

A consistent fashion designer

Twenty-five years later, at the anniversary of his career, Denny wanted to present a gala trunk show for his friends and clients. 

“I’d wanted to celebrate my 25th anniversary last year, but it was impossible because of the pandemic,” he said. 

The trunk show opened with a video of Denny, wearing a white shirt and Balinese sarong, walking barefooted on a beach, leaving a trail of footprints behind him. Soon afterward, a couple of young girls, wearing white kebaya and carrying banten (Balinese offerings) in their hands, emerged from backstage and walked on the runway, spreading the sweet-smelling incense smoke throughout the ballroom and blessing the show. 

In the first sequence of the show, Denny presented men’s and women’s tunics, overcoats and jackets made of the vibrant Tenun Endek from Bali. These exquisite tenun were made by traditional artisans in Singaraja, North of Bali, using natural dyes. 

“Saving the environment has become my main concern these days,” the designer said. 

In the second sequence of the show, Denny combined Batik Kudus and Balinese Tenun Gringsing in a series of evening dresses and pantsuits. 

“Tenun Gringsing is made with one of the oldest and rarest hand-weaving techniques, double ikat,” Denny said. “Therefore, I didn’t cut any of them in my outfits.” 

Artisans make Tenun Gringsing in Karangasem, Bali, by tying the threads on the loom’s weft and warping to create rich, ornate patterns. Due to this complicated technique, a piece of Tenun Gringsing may take one to five years to complete. 

To honor the ancient technique of Tenun Gringsing, Denny did not cut any of them but instead pleated and draped them elegantly on his dresses. 

The third sequence of the show featured the lustrous Balinese Songket from Sidemen, East of Bali, which was also paired with Batik Kudus. 

Made of recycled threads, some of the Songket had unique color gradations. 

Denny also trained the artisans that he worked with to dip the fabrics in a particular herbal concoction to make them feel softer and more comfortable to wear. 

“It’s indeed a challenge to meet so many craftsmen, communicate with them and direct them in making a breakthrough with a new technique,” Denny confided. 

Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation sponsored the trunk show. 

“Denny has always been consistent in featuring traditional Indonesian textiles in his collections and thus perpetuating Indonesian cultural heritage,” Renitasari Adrian, program director of Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation, said. “He has also inspired many Indonesian young people with his expertise.” 

An inspirational mentor

Lilik Muflikah, an SMK NU Banat (NU Banat Vocational High School) teacher in Kudus, Central Java, watched Denny’s anniversary trunk show on YouTube and was very impressed. 

“Mas [Brother] Denny has given traditional Indonesian textiles a modern, international look and made us proud,” the 33-year-old schoolteacher said during the telephone interview on Oct. 15. 

From July 29 to August 13, Denny Wirawan mentored 103 students of SMK NU Banat and taught them how to conceptualize a fashion collection, design outfits in a sustainable way and organize a fashion show. 

“Mas Denny is an awe-inspiring fashion designer and mentor,” Lilik said. “I wish him all the best for his career.” 

At the end of the interview, just before the fashion show started, Denny uttered a couple of wishes for the future of his career. 

“I wish God would give me many more opportunities to work and inspire others,” the designer said. “I also wish to explore many different parts of Indonesia and discover more traditional textiles for my next collection.”

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