Jason Bustam, a 26-year-old Jakartan, now works as a doctor at a private hospital in Jakarta. Not so long ago, however, he was a common sight at many fashion shows and events such as Jakarta Fashion Week (JFW), the Plaza Indonesia Men's Fashion Week (PIMFW) and Indonesia Fashion Week. Jason also appeared as a model in the fashion campaigns of many well-known designers like Patrick Owen, Rani Hatta and Danjyo Hiyoji.

"My family was very supportive when I started modeling. They hoped that I could [develop] my self-confidence, as well as other soft skills that we can't get anywhere else," said Jason. "Many of my friends and teachers, on the other hand, believed that the profession was [an unusual choice] and deviated from what they thought [I] 'should' be doing.”

But that’s not all. Jason revealed that he also encountered negative stereotyping such as leading a "wild lifestyle” and doubts over career progression.

"When I graduated and started to work as a doctor, I hope I can give everyone who is just starting out as a model the idea that we can have a career in this industry without sacrificing everything else we want to do," he said.

Jason also advised new models not to be afraid to start until in the end, they “finally lose the opportunity”.

Hefty competition

Many male models started their careers when they were young. Panca Makmun, who is now a seasoned fashion show director and a judge for many modeling competitions, including the reality show Indonesia Next Top Model, started modeling at the age of 14.

"I remember it vividly. I was scouted by a representative of Gadis magazine, by chance. Of course, I said yes immediately," said Panca.

"I was paid Rp 25,000. It was 1984, so that was a very large sum for a teenager. That was when I learned that this kind of industry existed," he said, adding that back then, being a male model was not a popular career choice.

"That [profession] practically had no support system. My family would ask, 'What will you become in the future?' But I liked it, so I stuck with it," he said.

"Over time, I tried dance and choreography, but I finally [became] a fashion show director around the ‘90s because I wanted Indonesian fashion shows to have international standards."

Because of his extensive research into international fashion shows, Panca is considered an expert in the modeling trends.

"Believe it or not, there are trends in this industry. Like in the ‘80s and ‘90s, male models were supposed to be big and muscular and [have Caucasian looks]. And then came the Oriental hype. And now, it's all about people of color.

“This year especially, they really like the ‘pretty boy' types. Think Rizal Rama or Ken Chukwu,” he said, with the latter referring to Ekene Dilichukwu Edeh.

Both Rizal and Ken are male models with Indonesian modeling agency Persona Management. Rizal is the talk of the town, having graced the runways of Paris and Milan fashion weeks for big names like Fendi, Simone Rocha and Heliot Emil.

The two have also been the faces of JFW, with Rizal winning the title for the JFW 2021 campaign and Ken becoming the face of the JFW 2022 campaign.

Ken is now 20 and was first scouted by Persona on Instagram when he was 16. His unique looks and name come from the fact that he is of Nigerian-Indonesian descent.

"My father is a Nigerian and my mother is of Chinese-Indonesian descent. My father was the one that gave me this name," said Ken. "I came to Persona's base camp, and then they taught me various techniques, such as how to walk and pose."

Ken was dreaming of being part of a JFW campaign ever since he saw Rizal win the title in 2020. It took him two auditions to get a runway gig and three to become a JFW icon.

Panca, who is practically a permanent juror for JFW modeling auditions, revealed that the process was rigorous, especially for male models.

"There are not many Indonesian designers who make menswear collections, for one,” he said, explaining why this was so. “Probably Itang Yunasz, Biyan and Ivan [Gunawan], but it’s not [their main line]. Most still make more womenswear with menswear [on the side]."

"In addition, tastes change. [A model] might be suited to the current trend, but [their] technique just isn’t there yet, and vice versa. There are various factors: looks, technique, luck, to name a few."

The scarcity of opportunities for male models makes them a minority at fashion shows, unless the event is specifically for male fashion, such as PIMFW. But according to Panca, this doesn't change the fact that menswear is still a very limited field. Womenswear still dominates the industry, despite recent beauty and lifestyle developments that encourage men to groom and dress better.

"Look at the international fashion weeks. [...] their men's editions, like in Milan and Paris, are usually shorter and the collections are still more limited compared to womenswear. The menswear [segment] is growing, but I don't think it will grow that fast," said Panca.

Global potential

Jason and Panca have something else in common: They both believe that the profession can open doors to many opportunities.

"I still often do modeling jobs, especially photo shoots. I'm still in this industry because I love being able to open new horizons and establish new connections with other people," said Jason.

"[I know] many male models who are arguably very successful in the fashion world and able to work to foreign countries, or [who have] made it into the entertainment world,” he said. “Basically, I feel that this profession can act as a bridge for us to develop to a higher level, not only in fashion but also in any industry, like in my case, as a doctor."

Panca echoed Jason’s thoughts, adding that models could network with many influential people in the industry and that there was limitless potential.

"You get to know many people, from designers to entrepreneurs, even government officials. Who knows, they might be future clients for your architecture agency or [future] patients, right?" he said.

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"Or, you could dive in more and find your core passion in this industry, as I did. You have more options these days. You can be an influencer, for instance."

Panca also stressed that Indonesian male models had boundless potential for expansion: "Our facial features are unique and most people abroad don't really know what Indonesians look like.”

“We should also note that the Milan and Paris fashion scenes are some of the toughest to penetrate, so kudos to our models who made it there," he added.

"I bet they're amused right now, looking at Raihan [who appeared at YSL Men's Spring/Summer 2022 show] or Rizal, trying to guess where this guy came from, and we have a lot of Rizals here. They just haven't found them yet."

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