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Designers elevate tradition to virtual runway
Top batik houses as well as LaSalle fashion students have taken on the challenge of bringing contemporary reimaginings of Indonesia's traditional clothing and textiles to the all-digital runway shows at JFW 2021.
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raditional Indonesian garments have a special spot at Jakarta Fashion Week (JFW) 2021 as designers and artisans sustain their ancestral heritage amid the global pandemic.
One of these is Iwan Tirta Private Collection, which is presenting its latest “Next Level Batik” collection of casual menswear and womenswear.
Rindu Melati Pradnyasmita of the renowned batik fashion house said the collection was a follow-up to their “Outfit of the Day” (OOTD) campaign during the health crisis, encouraging people to don batik clothing and masks and post their selfies on social media platforms.
“We joined JFW this year to spread hope that batik, a pride in Indonesian art, will prevail despite the pandemic,” Rindu said at a virtual press conference on Tuesday. “We also took on the challenge to change the [general] perception that batik is only for formal occasions.”
The fashion house is taking the runway on Friday in the “de.co.rum show by Senayan City”, following the presentation of celebrated labels Albert Yanuar, ETU and Lekat in the Wonderful Indonesia runway show sponsored by the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry.
Albert Yanuar visualized his memories of traveling the country – both actual and imagined -- through the use of embroidery in his collection, which are to be modeled by winners of the Putri Indonesia 2020 pageant.
“The clothes were the canvas for paintings made using embroidery. We used a two-dimensional embroidery technique, but they look as though they were silk-screened,” he told the press on Tuesday.
The second Wonderful Indonesia show, to take place on the closing day of JFW 2021 on Nov. 29, will see Batik Chic, KAMI and Yosafat Dwi Kurniawan taking to the runway.
Yosafat is presenting his “Tribe” collection, representing Indonesia’s diverse ethnic groups and cultures. It is also a kind of tribute to the warmth of his close-knit family in the batik-producing center of Pekalongan in Central Java, which he could not visit under the COVID-19 travel restrictions.
“I decided to customize Pekalongan batik with new motifs, each with its own philosophy. The whole collection exudes a modern and contemporary feel,” he said.
KAMI creative director Nadya Karina said the urban label’s “Banda” collection combined Javanese batik with the geometrical motifs of the rattan baskets made by the Dayak ethnic group in Kalimantan.
“We created contemporary motifs on traditional clothing and chose simple designs, because people prefer easy-to-wear pieces while working from home,” she said.
Meanwhile, Batik Chic founder and creative director Novita Yunus explored a new way to draw batik motifs. Instead of using canting, the pen-like traditional tool used to draw motifs in wax, she used paintbrushes.
“The brush strokes create new motif variations,” she said. Batik Chic collaborated with batik artisans in Central Java to experiment with the new technique.
“We combined traditional Pekalongan batik with illustrations of a peacock drawn with brushes and embroidered. We chose the peacock because it [symbolizes] the strength of tenderness and resilience,” added Novita.
Fashion students at LaSalle College Jakarta also explored new possibilities in creating traditional clothing, to be presented on Saturday in the Elementum runway show.
Shinta Chandra Lesmana created her “Wacinwa” collection by blending elements of the Javanese and Chinese cultures, specifically the Javanese shadow puppet with classic Chinese tales.
LaSalle students Tania Segamaocia and Vionica Priskila also brought tradition to the fore, with Tania exploring the mythology surrounding Kalimantan diamonds in her motifs and Vionica playing with youthful, contemporary designs on traditional clothing.
Meanwhile, student Veronica Tanwijaya undertook a challenging research project into traditional textiles and production techniques to reproduce 1950s fashion for her collection.
“This type of textile has been missing for 200 years and the information about it is very limited. I had to make an appointment with a collector who knows about its history,” she said, adding that the meeting took place “under strict health protocols”. (ste)
– Visit jfw.tv or jakartafashionweek.co.id for schedules and updates.
