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Variety that sells
From monochrome designs to colorful modern interpretations on traditional batik motifs, eight up-and-coming local designers showcased their best ready-to-wear collections.
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Day and Night (JP/Frans Snackers)
Fashion is a tango between design and a business that sells.
In collaboration with Jakarta Fashion Week and Indonesia Fashion Forward (IFF), Galaries Lafayette selected eight designers from the IFF program to present their collections in the store during the 5th edition of Fashion Lab.
The designers had to meet some strict requirements. Aside from having the potential to become the next big label, the business side was scrutinized as well.
“They do have the eye for what our customers like. They know what customer selections are,” Herlina Widjaja, the COO of Galaries Lafayette, said.
“We also chose them because of the production side. Sometimes local designers have difficulty in sending the quantities.”
Through the IFF program, which seeks to catapult Indonesian fashion onto the global stage, Indonesian designers are educated on how to brand themselves and deal with the business aspect of the fashion industry — something that designers tend to overlook.
Lia Ellyhan of Ellyhan Jewelry is convinced that her brand would not have existed if it was not for the IFF program. Lia says the mentorship she received from the program to develop her brand was invaluable.
Her collection on show was inspired by goddesses from Indonesia folklore. She enlisted the help of a Balinese silversmith to find ways to mix the precious metal with the stacked pearls her brand is known for.
One of her standout designs is a headpiece. The silver headband loops in front of the ears, from which multiple strands of pearls drape down and cross the torso at various heights. Here and there, dark elements are added for a well-balanced contrast.
Sendy Soeriaatmadja takes care of the business side of the label alex[a]lexa, while his wife, Monique, is responsible for the modern look hitting the runway and displayed on the shelves at Galeries Lafayette.
“A lot of designers only think about the design, but not how to sell and structure it,” he said. “You may be a great designer, but if you cannot sell you won’t be able to sell.”
The designs from alex[a]lexa are contenders for the most boundary-pushing of the showpieces. Several pieces incorporate denim jeans in part as a whole. An outfit that immediately caught the attention was a top in which a seemingly intact pair of jeans was sown to the front, wrapped by a thick leather belt.
Learning how to sell her designs was one of the main lessons taken to heart by Yelly Lumentu of Day and Night whose designs during the trunk show were dominated by blacks and whites. The designer said she targeted young millennials.
“Our customers really like social media. Every time they wear our clothes they will tag us,” she says. This target market is part of the reason why they chose to design ready-to-wear clothing, which is easy to sell and easy to wear.
In general, the outfits from Day and Night would not look amiss in the wardrobes of Jakarta’s young professionals. One outfit that took on a more playful look was a black and white striped dress, accented by puffy mesh fabric tied to the torso and making up the bottom.
Other outtakes from the show were the designs of Batik Chic, which combine a modern look with the traditional batik’s bright colors and motifs and the modest-wear look from Kami, which wrapped around the models with elegance.
