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Lulu Lutfi Labibi celebrates 8 years in fashion
Eight years of work: Designer Lulu Lutfi Labibi (left photo) greets models during a fashion show for the 2020 spring/summer collection titled Sewindu Bercerita (Eight Years of Stories) at the Jogja National Museum in Yogyakarta on Oct
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ight years of work: Designer Lulu Lutfi Labibi (left photo) greets models during a fashion show for the 2020 spring/summer collection titled Sewindu Bercerita (Eight Years of Stories) at the Jogja National Museum in Yogyakarta on Oct. 14 and a visitor (right photo) looks at a map of the countries Lulu has visited. During the fashion show, Lulu showcased eight years of his work.(Courtesy of Lulu Lutfi Labibi)
The Indonesian fashion scene knows Lulu Lutfi Labibi as a designer who embraces wabi-sabi, an ancient Japanese philosophy of finding beauty in imperfection. More importantly, every piece created by Lulu is said to “mark” his thoughts on the life problems he encounters.
“In the creation of a piece, I only need to be honest with myself, what I am really feeling,” Lulu told The Jakarta Post in Yogyakarta, where he is based, in mid-October.
Lulu’s contemplations inspire him to draw patterns on paper, creating blueprints of a fashion style in which motifs and stripes are juxtaposed and asymmetry is celebrated. Such collections as Jantung Hati (Heart), Gedangsari Berlari (Gedangsari Runs), Perjalanan (Journey), Tirakat (a soul-searching ritual) and Tepian (Aside) have received wide acclaim.
The Tirakat collection, launched in 2017, was inspired by a soul-searching ritual Javanese people do on the eve of Indonesia’s Independence Day. Lulu thinks that people need to do the ritual, walk slowly and practice self-control to enable an inner dialogue in the hustle and bustle of an exploitative modern world.
“When we walk slowly, there is a power that comes to existence,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Tepian collection, launched in 2018, features lurik (striped woven material) in a motif that Lulu created himself called kunir asem (turmeric and tamarind).
Lulu said the idea for kunir asem — a contrast of yellow on black — came to his mind after he was overwhelmed by many activities in 2017. He was so busy that he had no time to enjoy such “luxuries” as going to Pleret village in Bantul regency on a bike and buying vegetable fritters in late afternoons.
“People need to step aside for a while, turn themselves into a blank canvas again to be able to create better work,” said Lulu, who likes to share the stories and photos of his creative processes on his social media accounts.
Those stories spark an emotional and commercial relationship between Lulu and his clientele, resulting in greater engagement and sales.
“I only share experiences and positive energy with people. If they read [my stories] and they become touched and changed, I am thankful,” Lulu said.
The year 2019 marks the eighth anniversary of the label Lulu Lutfi Labibi, celebrated with the presentation of the 2020 spring/summer collection titled Sewindu Bercerita (Eight Years of Stories) and an exhibition of the brand’s previous collections in the Jogja National Museum (JNM).
Designs from Lulu’s past lurik-and batik-inspired collection were displayed on the ground floor of the JNM on Sept. 15-20. There was also a photo booth that resembled a fitting room, where visitors could take a photo wearing Lulu’s outfits. Providing a rare and exciting experience, the booth was popular among visitors.
Lulu said it was the first exhibition of his works, and Santi from the Indieguerillas artist duo was the art director. Both Lulu and Santi studied at the Indonesian Fine Arts Institute (ISI) in Yogyakarta.
Meanwhile, the first floor of the JNM housed an exhibition of Lulu’s latest collection, Sewindu Bercerita, where guests could see 70 looks that were created using scrap pieces of fabric from his previous offerings, including those with lurik motifs baur rupa (mix of looks) and duka luruh (fallen grief).
About the fashion show itself, Lulu described it as a family affair where guests mingled and chatted over popular Yogyakarta street food such as Pak Abu’s sate klatak (satay on iron skewers, served with curry soup), Pak Sabar’s sambal belut (eel cooked in sambal), Wonosari-style sego abang (red rice), lodeh (mixed vegetables cooked in coconut milk) and tempeh.
The fashion show and exhibition summarized Lulu’s eight-year journey as a designer. Ups and downs were represented by an installation of long woven fabric in the shape of waves at the first-floor corridor of the JNM. The woven fabric is said to be a witness of the designer’s journey, as it was assembled from the lurik and batik scraps that Lulu collected for more than eight years.
Highlights of the journey include the early years, from when Lulu began exploring the fashion industry and introduced an unusual style of wearing lurik and batik, up until he launched his Jantung Hati collection in 2015. Lulu’s works caught the attention of international audiences when they were showcased at the 2016 MuseumsQuartier Vienna Fashion Week in Austria.
There was also a time when Lulu felt disappointed because his designs, especially his signature drape top, were plagiarized and mass-produced.
“I felt uncomfortable. It was difficult to introduce my design to the public, but once recognized, it was copied and sold to the masses,” said Lulu, who eventually set his discomfort aside as he realized that ideas were unlimited.
He even became popular in the contemporary art scene. Indieguerillas was appointed as a commissioned artist at the 2015 ArtJog and asked Lulu to collaborate. They collaborated again for the 2019 ArtJog in a special project titled Warung Murakabi, described as a creative movement based on mutual cooperation, locality and independence to achieve sustainability.
Lulu said he studied the meaning of murakabi (sufficient) through Warung Murakabi.
One of his creations was a line of vintage bras called Suroso, which sold very well, but Lulu did not want to fulfill every demand that came from the market.
Another highlight of Lulu’s career was when he — again in collaboration with Indieguerillas — created a piece called Hypecyclus for an exhibition at Mizuma gallery in Singapore, in which Lulu recycled used clothes that were exported to Indonesia.
Lulu ended up creating a style that his fans called celana paman (uncle’s pants).
ArtJog curator Bambang “Toko” Witjaksono said Lulu’s fashion designs could also be considered contemporary works of art.
“Lulu reconstructed clothes using lurik, giving way for an exploration of the image of contemporary uniqueness,” Bambang said.
Diana Setiawati, a fan of Lulu’s designs, said she had known Lulu for a long time and looked at him as a thinker who poured his philosophies into his work.
“I like Lulu’s designs because they are edgy, suitable to be worn on formal occasions, they don’t scream too loud, but we have to style them well,” she added.
Despite his popularity, Lulu’s intention is to help people. Diana described Lulu as a homebody who could be found sweeping the floor of his home every morning.
