Anne Avantie --- JP/Shirina Vasandani

Color scheme, style, fabric and consumer preference: When it comes to finding various approaches fashion designers use in their art, the list goes on and on.

For Indonesian designers, creations intertwine with ideas of traditional culture and fashion – a salient revelation that would bring a profound legacy to Indonesia Fashion Week (IFW) 2012.

Designer Irna Mutiara offered a touch of ethnicity throughout the showcase of hijabs and her Muslim-style attire.  

To exemplify one of her patterns, she had a model wear a batik head-scarf as well as bright blue baggy silk trousers and a polka-dotted blue and white cardigan.

With the incorporation of hijab designs in all her pieces, she naturally blends her idea of Muslim designs into her creations.

For renowned kebaya designer Anne Avantie, the importance of kebaya streams from her childhood passion for Javanese attire.

“Batik is a form of expression. A way of conveying my love for Indonesia,” Avantie said when asked why she started designing the traditional blouse.  

“By adding a hint of batik in my creations, it is a way of attaching ethnicity in my work.”

As the neon blue light flashed on the runway, models posed in various attire. Ranging from casual, traditional, cocktail and bridal, the event showcased the work of talented Indonesian designers. Their designs were expressions of capability and aptitude.

Other than Avantie’s outstanding kebaya, the creations by Deden Siswanto, Denny Wirawan, Rumah Mode Brutus and Chenny Han also were modeled on the runway.

Chenny and Brutus presented bridal gowns, where the female models gracefully slide down the runway in white wedding gowns adorned with white feathers, lace and net. The fashion show, which showcased the works of some 10 fashion designers, was a sneak preview of what we could expect from Indonesian Fashion Week 2012.

The upcoming fashion week aims to showcase the works of Indonesia’s talented designers not only locally but also globally.

The fashion week, scheduled to take place at the Jakarta Convention Center on Feb. 23-26, will present the latest creations from 500 fashion designers.

Not only will there be runway shows, but fashion enthusiasts can also take part in workshops and competitions during the event.

One of the scheduled workshops includes trend forecasting, where designers are expected to work together to find ways to bring about new trends to their work and the Indonesian fashion industry, as well as presenting ideas to meet global market expectations.

“For me personally, there will be collaboration between my designs with [artist-politician] Guruh Soekarnoputra and [designer] Gary Wibowo, where we will show that the fashion industry cannot solely exist without music, dance and the arts,” Anne said.

Based on a theme called “One heart for Indonesia”, the three designers – Anne, Guruh and Gary – plan to present the idea of unity, an expression that will be assembled for the collaboration in 2012 IFW.

“With different personalities and outlook in creating a design, we stride together to create a single cause for fashion-unity,” Anne says.

Industry Minister M.S. Hidayat, who launched the fashion show on Monday, pointed out that branding and promotion may get in the way to conquering the international market. Despite a robust fashion market, with sales reported at US$4.4 billion in 2008, and the government’s target to raise that figure to around $20-25 billion by 2025, going international may be a tough nut to crack, he added.

Indonesian cosmetics industry legend, Martha Tilaar, was optimistic that the problems were not impossible to overcome.

She recalled her struggle to make her brand what it was today.

Starting out in her father’s garage, mixing traditional recipes herself, she created a beauty empire that not only employs more than 5,000 people but helps beautify Indonesian women.

“We are rich in culture, products and ethnicity. No doubt bringing a local product and making it global is not easy, however, we have the strength to make it happen,” Martha said.

— Photos by Shirina Vasandani

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.

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