Thousands of enthusiastic young people attended the joyful Paradise Island Clothing Association (PICA) Festival 2016 held at Ngurah Rai Sports Center in Denpasar from April 1-3.

The three-day festival featured fashion lines and dozens of indie music groups and, with a ticket price of only Rp 15,000 (US$1.13) per person, it successfully lured 17,000 attendees.

The festival venue was crowded with fashion booths promoting 66 Indie brands, such as Devilini, Dynamite, Amah Amah, Melvant, Saint Lukas and many others.

“I am searching for discounted goods,” said Kana, a junior high school student from Denpasar; some of the fashion booths were offering a 50 percent discount for their unique T-shirts.

The organizing committee had targeted business transactions of at least Rp 4 billion during the festival, which was first held in 2014.

Participating bands and brands increased this year. The indie bands played various musical genres, from pop, to metal and electro, while 100 fashion booths offered fashion specifically targeting young fashion lovers.

The three main music stages featured groups including Bali Extreme Drummer, Garden Groove, Tol Band Tol, Pygmy Marmoset, Teman Sebangku and Endah N Rhesa. Twelve bands performed on the first day: Anaztesia, Suitcase for Kennedy, White Rose, The Brews, Human Autopsy, The Cat Rolls, Bersimbah Darah, Suicidal Sinatra, The Crotochip, Devildice, Rocket Rockers and Rajawali Ingkar Janji.

Endah, a musician and singer from Endah N Rhesa, said: “Music and fashion are inseparable. Music genres determine fashion styles and, likewise, fashion influences music.”

Endah established a clothing line in 2009. “We sold our stuff during our music concerts.”

Yudistira, a member of the organizing committee, was optimistic that the local Indie brands were already firmly placed in the hearts of Indonesia’s fashion lovers. “Some of brands displayed at the PICA festival can compete with famous international brands,” he said.

Febry, a member of the band Painful by Kisses, insisted that the provincial government should support the island’s creative and innovative music and fashion industries. “Bali does not have any representative venue for a large-scale creative industry festival. The local government built Bali Creative Center on Jl. Tohpati, but it isn’t appropriate for large or international festivals and exhibitions.”

To support the island’s creative industry, the government also needed to simplify the permit process and reduce rental fees, Febry said.

The Ngurah Rai Sports Center was too small to provide sufficient space for these young, creative people to express their talents and artistic skills. It is high time the government and relevant parties paid attention to the needs of these youths, who are our future.

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