Bohemian: Silhouettes are kept simple and loose to adhere to the modest Muslim market.

In his Idul Fitri collection, designer Ivan Gunawan reminisces on his trips to Europe and pays tribute to Chanel’s late creative director Karl Lagerfeld.

The fashion industry’s obsession with seasonal cycles feels like a relic with the advent of fast fashion, especially in perpetually humid Indonesia.

With fast fashion’s cheap offerings popping up everywhere, one would understandably long for the days where clothing was built to last, standing strong against the ravages of time and trend.

Designer Ivan Gunawan knows this well, but he is tackling another sense of nostalgia for a hip Idul Fitri collection.

Seeing red: The presentation showcased a total of 120 looks across two brands.

Simply titled “Nostalgia”, Ivan’s latest collection covers two of his diffusion lines — the Mandjha Hijab and menswear brand Khalif — in a colossal presentation featuring 120 looks all in.

“’Nostalgia’ comes from my recent travels to Europe, where I visited London, Paris and Turkey. I’m a self-taught designer and my creations are derived from what I feel and see, and ‘Nostalgia’ was born from my experience,” Ivan said.

For him, the best season to travel in is spring, when the winds of winter still linger amid the colors in bloom — hence layering is chosen as a focal point of the collection.

Yet, walking into the show’s venue felt like strolling down a park in autumn, bathed in browns from fallen leaves interspersed with the naked branches of dried out trees.

Homage: Ivan pays tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld through the use of tweed and decor.

Those familiar with major fashion week events would recognize the set-up to be resembling Chanel’s Fall 2018 decor, down to the leaves that crunch ever so often under the heels of the models strutting up and down the runway.

This is not a copy-and-paste job, as Ivan explained that it was his tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director of Chanel and Fendi who passed away in February.

Other tributes to Chanel under Lagerfeld came in the form of tweed, synonymous with Chanel’s jackets that have been the brand’s staple offering aside from its quilted 2.55 handbags.

Ivan sent out structured tweed outerwear in various lengths and cuts, fits loose so as to not reveal the curve of the female body yet sharp enough to more than make up for it.

Dotty: Ivan Gunawan's latest collection was inspired by his travels to Europe.

A calf-length sleeveless waistcoat with matching trousers in light bluish-purple tweed is paired with a ribbed long sleeved top in pastel blush. An open-front jacket in soft orange is cinched at the waist so as to emphasize the patterned top underneath.

Color-wise, pastels show no sign of going out of fashion in the modest fashion segment, yet Ivan used them sparingly, preferring deeper earth tones and navy that almost feels like a statement color amid the deluge of lighter hues.

Ivan’s penchant for the dramatic is alive and well, mostly focused on the decor so as to not overwhelm the clothes, which are obviously meant to be worn on a daily basis. Still, some of that signature flair never left, pared down in the form of multicolored prints or minor embellishments like tassels and edging.

It would have been nice to see some of that flair in the menswear line, which eschews patterns and volume for modernized, clean lines. However, Ivan himself once said Indonesian men aren’t as keen on more experimental styles, so it may have been the business sense talking.

Reworked: The classic baju koko cut is still in trend, sans embroidery.

Mandarin collars and cropped trousers are aplenty, as befitting a line focused on Muslim menswear. Like its previous collection, baju koko (long-sleeve collarless shirt) are also a staple offering, with the embroidery swapped out for prints and color blocking.

While deep red is an interesting touch for men’s fashion, the almost mandatory black and white ensemble is always a crowd favorite. Common as it may be, greyscale does pop out in a largely brown environment.

Going by Ivan’s presentation, one should expect quite colorful celebrations this June.

Gloom: Ivan's menswear line is much more pared down compared to his women's line

 

— Photos courtesy of Muara Bagdja Team