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Ari Seputra: Taking the fashion market by storm
(JP/Ricky Yudhistira)With years of high fashion under his belt, designer Ari Seputra has become an inspiring name in the countryâs fashion industry
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(JP/Ricky Yudhistira) (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
(JP/Ricky Yudhistira)With years of high fashion under his belt, designer Ari Seputra has become an inspiring name in the country's fashion industry.
The fashion designer has two brands under his care ' Ari Seputra, his strong premium brand that focuses on glamorous couture styles; and Major Minor, his ready-to-wear line that was launched in 2011 and is sold at the UK-based department store Harvey Nichols.
Assisted by his wife Sari and two young fashion designers, Ambar Pratiwi and Inneke Margarethe, Ari built Major Minor into a brand that offers 'major style, major concept and major quality at a minor price'.
'I'm focusing on Major Minor now. It is still a baby but it has gone international,' Ari said after a recent fashion show in Jakarta.
With the deal, Ari has further upped his career, with creations displayed side-by-side with world class brands such as Red Valentino, Lanvin and Moschino.
'I'm truly proud of this. It's so crazy! If you get a chance to look at Harvey Nichol's website [harveynichols.com] Major Minor's items are among the big names,' Ari said with pride.
Major Minor earned the business deal with Harvey Nichols following 2013 Jakarta Fashion Week (JFW) last year.
At the event, Major Minor was among participants of JFW's Fashion Forward, a program that involved the British Council and the Center for Fashion Enterprise London. The program offered participants a comprehensive workshop on the creative and business process to prepare them to enter the international market.
Ari said the brand, which boasts clean-cut pieces in eye-popping colors, had just received an order for its 2013 spring/summer collection from Harvey Nichols.
'I don't want it to stop there. We look forward to future seasons to maintain the deal,' explained Ari.
Despite his impressive and eye-catching creations, the designer is very down to earth and he applies this characteristic to his creations.
'Many people are familiar with Ari Seputra,' Ari says. 'But, I'm planning to incorporate elements of both Ari Seputra and Major Minor. I'd like them to become two separate brands that share similar design basics.'
For his latest Ari Seputra collection, Ari has toned down the design.
'The idea comes from other fashion business heavy weights, such as Georgio Armani that has similar design lines with Emporio Armani, Armani and Armani Exchange,' he said.
A focus on details and comfort would continue to be integral to all of Ari's work.
'I fell in love with Lanvin and Dries Van Noten. They all have toned down design, yet pay close attention to the small details and comfort,' said the designer.
In his work, he prefers to apply distinct sewing techniques, meaning that although the design is simple, but it is high fashion one because of the high production value. This process drives his tailors crazy but for Ari, fashion is about comfort and confidence.
'These two words [comfort and confidence] are a priority in my designs. I don't want my clients to be intimidated by clothes they wear,' he says.
The artisan believes fashion to be a personal statement ' about someone's idealism.
'Being fashionable doesn't mean you have to wear all brands at one time. I can wear a simple T-shirt and jeans with a Prada bag. I can wear a brand new atelier mixed with some 20-year-old piece. Why not? To me, that's fashion.'
With this new path into the international fashion arena, the designer said he was not bothered if others emulated his style.
'In the fashion world, people inspire each other. One can get rid of a detail in a design, add new detail or resize the piece,' said the Indonesian Fashion Designers Council (IPMI) member.
He recalled the Celine Trapeze bag or Hermes' Birkin bag that were quickly followed by designs with similar elements.
'But not all succeed,' he says. 'The show must go on. I think the best way to deal with a situation like this is to look for more inspiration.'
Ari cites culture as a main source of inspiration for Ari Seputra, while for Major Minor the arts, architecture and the 1940s and 1950s inform his designs.
A serene village in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, could inform his creative process or, for example when he celebrated 10 years anniversary of the Ari Seputra label back in 2010, he was inspired by Borobudur Temple, wayang traditional puppet and Javanese palaces.
'I really enjoy art. I also occasionally watch performances or plays when I'm not busy,' said Ari.
But despite his hectic work schedule, Ari is still a family man.
'I have a 15-year-old son and an eight-year-old daughter who I usually take on bike rides,' he said. 'My son is getting bigger ' he's literally almost as tall as me and he's started doing a lot of stuff, so I have to be around.'
