The designer said he felt very privileged to be able to celebrate 30 years in the fashion business.

“To get to three decades, it feels like yesterday. I used to be called a young designer, but now I have to accept that I’m not young anymore,” Didi said to a raucous round of laughter before his fashion show started.

Still, the Indonesian fashion scene has certainly changed a lot in 30 years, and Didi said the most important thing was that he took the journey out of sincere love for the trade.

The changes in the industry along the way is also one of the reasons that spurred Didi to undergo a rebranding of his label, entrusted to creative director Felix Tjahjadi.

He is aware that the issue of rebranding is quite important in fashion. “As you might know, fashion labels both local and international have rebranded themselves. I shared this information with Felix, and he helped me with artistic directions for presentations and installations, so he understands what I need the most at this moment.”

 Felix fancied himself to be “just” the messenger in the process, making Didi’s vision a reality.

 “When we talk about brand identity, the brand revitalization process starts from a business strategy, but this time it’s different because we already know Didi and his work. I feel it is also needed to reinforce the power that comes from his name.”

Felix’s reimagining of the Didi Budiardjo brand can be seen in the redesigned logo. The typography now features horizontal and vertical elements, which Felix says is easy to read.

The reworked logo now features two uppercase Ds stacked on top of each other, with the larger uppercase B also serving as an optical illusion by also displaying two Is.

At the celebration, Didi revealed that his latest collection, titled “Terlahir Kembali” (Reborn), would features some of his signature designs.

A separate line of seven dresses, cut from tenun handwoven cloth from Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara and Donggala in Central Sulawesi, opened the presentation. The stage was bathed in a red glow as the first model strutted down the runway.

The collection opened with an Oriental-esque gown, short sleeved with a tent-like silhouette cascading down to the floor showcasing the floral patterns reminiscent of fine china.

Voluminous silhouettes seem to be the key, which are influenced by the 1980s -- a decade that is slowly creeping back into the cycle of trends and harkening Didi’s first foray into design.

Proportions are body hugging for key looks, accentuating the curves of the wearer while creating dramatic effects through flares and swerves.

A classic black sleeveless dress brings a sense of understated structure through a lace panel and flared skirt in jacquard, catching the room’s light in such a way that further accessorizing would be overkill.

Monochromatic blacks and whites seem obligatory in every collection, but Didi’s penchant for flair keeps it interesting through juxtaposition, like a dress with a yin-yang-esque top split in different fabrics, or a billowy sheer outer adorned with floral applique styled over a towering black gown.

Red is also a common theme, seen from a dazzling strapless gown that reminds one of Spanish flamenco dancers to simple accent panels that jazzes up a grayscale daytime number.

Tiered dresses provide much of the collection’s experimental touch, from a seven-tier red gown with asymmetric neckline that seems a bit Gaga-esque to another red stunner with a diagonal tiered embellishment.

In Didi’s flair for the dramatic and sensual is the use of sheer materials, from glimmering mini dresses elongated with a sheer skirt to a nude illusion dress made elegant through intricate beadwork.

As the presentation closed with a fantasy-like voluminous white gown adorned with an embellished heart, it seems it is Didi’s way of saying that a journey begins when your heart is in the right place. (ste)