Indonesia is blessed with the most beautiful traditional textiles. These take so long to make and considered so valuable that in the old days, only royals and aristocrats were able to wear them. Fortunately, times are a changin' and people finally began to realize that these textiles do not have to remain as relics of the past. A lot of our designers now take on the challenge of revamping the image of traditional textiles, bringing them forward into modern times and making them wearable, not just as sarongs or shawls. I think it's admirable that there has been this collective effort to modernize traditional hand-woven textiles because as you can see, they are nothing short of amazing!
But beyond that, it is also imperative for the Indonesian fashion industry to carve an identity of its own. New York has its sportswear, London its androgyny, Milan its tailoring and Paris its avant-garde. Indonesia is colorful, diverse, entrenched in history. We just need to figure out a way to incorporate all that into the every day. I've always been an avid proponent of Ready To Wear. Exclusivity can sometimes be overrated, I think. Wearing a custom made creation doesn't make me feel superior or special. On the contrary, it makes me feel rather isolated. RTW collections allow the designer to fully realize his/her vision, execute his/her workmanship and monitor his/her evolution. We need to be able to see that in order to identify who's good and who's not. Plus, it's always enjoyable to have conversations about a particular collection. RTW collections also pose a challenge to wearer to really WEAR the piece, infuse his/her own style into it, instead of having the piece dictate who he/she should be.
In any case, I digress...I've posted some pictures I took during Jakarta Fashion Week 2010/2011. The designer behind it is the uber-talented Priyo Oktaviano who used to work under Nicolas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga. Would love to hear what you think :)
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