Ek Thongprasert

Top fashion designers highlight the runway of the ninth edition of Senayan City'€™s Fashion Nation with their premium batik-inspired collections.

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On Thursday night, the latest designs from prominent Indonesian designer Mel Ahyar and Thai designer Ek Thongprasert opened the ten-day fashion event that runs through April 18.

Mel Ahyar presented 15 looks from her Fall/Winter 2015 collection, entitled '€œChintz'€, that were inspired by the beauty and uniqueness of Dutch batik.

Chintz is a printed cotton fabric from India and was widely used by Dutch women during the colonial era.

At that time, flowers, birds, butterflies, war symbols or European fairy tales were featured in chintz before later being combined with the original Indonesian batik motifs, resulting in interesting cultural acculturation.

'€œThe message I'€™m trying to convey through this collection is that although Indonesian batik has been interpreted or influenced by different cultures, we never lose our own identity,'€ she said.

Under collaboration with local illustrator Ammy Tawaqal, Mel rendered the motifs, printed them and incorporated the handmade embellishments of those motifs into a series of playful designs.

'€œI took the old Dutch motifs and applied them to the clothes. I added some volume in order to create more contemporary looks,'€ Mel said.

She showcased big gowns that were popular during the Dutch era and modified the currently hip kutu baru kebaya.

Peach, beige, white, and dusty pink came in one, two and three pieces of clothing.

'€œI use silk duchess and jacquard to produce the volume of the solid structure and insert some lace material, which was also popular during that time,'€ Mel said.

The use of Dutch caps, platform shoes and 3D embellishments that decorated many parts of the clothes enhanced the playfulness of her collection.

If Mel tried to show the history of batik during the colonial era, Thongprasert decided to express his impression of Indonesian traditional batik motif through edgy designs.

Thongprasert said his collection was inspired by his first trip to Indonesia last year during which he became amazed by the use of batik by people on a daily basis.

'€œBatik has been passed on from one generation to another and what impressed me was that it is incorporated in people'€™s daily style,'€ he said.

Based on the phenomenon, he created his '€œStranger Batik'€ collection, showcasing batik from his point of view as a stranger in Indonesia.

'€œI pick up the motif of parang batik then I play around with the use of laser cutting, digital printing and leather weaving to explain the beauty of batik through a totally different perspective,'€ he said.

The use of PVC, polyester, leather and wool as the materials of the collection, as well as intricate details, created a fresh take on batik as a fashion statement.

'€œThis collection is not for sale, because to me each item is like a piece of art. I just want to express my feeling about Indonesia through one of its celebrated cultures,'€ he said.

The fashion event also featured capsule collection from noted local batik designers TIKprive, Purana and Ikat Indonesia.

Nonita Respati of Purana presented the '€œTropical Cruise'€ collection, which emphasized Indonesian traditional heritage for modern women.

The collection was made from tenun woven fabric, mixing modern geometrical lines with jumputan tie-dye motifs and patterns, all produced in loose silhouettes.

Meanwhile, Iwet Ramadhan of TIKprive offered the '€œSimplicity of Kawung'€ collection for men and women, for which he combined simple kawung motifs and bouquets of flowers as the center of his designs.

Fashion Nation will also present fashion shows from Austere by Tri Handoko, Restu Anggraeni, Japanese designer Atsuki Takahashi and Thai Q Design & Play. It will also feature art installation by Didi Budiardjo and pop-up scarf installation by Patrick Owen where the proceeds of the scarves sales will be donated to charity.

'€” Photos by JP/DON

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