Cultural Exchanges Color Jakarta Fashion Week 2017
Jakarta. New York City is perhaps one of the liveliest cities on earth. Teeming with artists and creative talents from around the world, the city throbs with a strong dynamic energy at all hours. It's no wonder it's been dubbed the "City that Never Sleeps."
This most populous city in the United States has also inspired Indonesian designer Luthfi Madjid in his newest ready-to-wear brand Avenue A.
The brand was launched at the Jakarta Fashion Week (JFW) 2017 on Thursday (27/10).
"Avenue A is the name of a very busy street in New York," Luthfi said. "People from many different countries and backgrounds are there."
Luthfi started his career in Jakarta in 1993 as a chief designer for Matahari Department Store. In 1998, he moved to New York and worked for a fashion consultant in the city. Among his main clients were global retailers, including Zara, Uniqlo and Stradivarius.
The designer said the collection is his effort at giving back to Indonesia.
The brand's debut collection features items with relaxed silhouettes for both men and women. Among them are deconstructed shirts with asymmetrical details, harem shorts and pants inset with skirts.
"They're all made with breathable materials, such as linen, rayon and cotton, which are easy-to-care and easy-to-wear," Luthfi said.
New York City also inspired modest wear designer and Indonesia Fashion Chamber (IFC) member Hannie Hananto in her spring/summer 2017 collection.
In collaboration with garment company Nitya Yatra Sejahtera, the designer launched new label Nys.co at the fashion tent of JFW 2017 Thursday.
The first collection is made of A-line caftans, long coats and abayas, adorned with prints of silhouettes of New York City's skyline.
"Modest wear has huge market potentials in Indonesia," said Noviana Poluan, co-founder of Nitya Yatra Sejahtera. “Together with Hannie Hananto, we'll set up boutiques at the malls and an online store for the new brand.”
Cultural exchanges work both ways. In the same way that New York City inspired Luthfi Madjid and Hannie Hananto, Indonesia's tropical climate has inspired Japanese designer Suzuki Takayuki for his new collection.
In collaboration with the local batik brand Bateeq, Takayuki has created a chic spring/summer 2017 collection for women. The collection was also showcased at the fashion tent of JFW 2017 on Thursday.
"I was inspired by Indonesian climate," said the designer in Japanese. "You have a great climate here. It's always warm, sunny and breezy."
Takayuki's collection features loose-fitted blouses, dresses and outerwear in soft natural hues and adorned with discreet batik and geometric prints.
“We hope to market the collection in Indonesia and Japan,” said Takayuki. “And I certainly hope that we can continue this collaboration [with Bateeq] and create more collections to be marketed all over Asia.”
The collaboration between Bateeq and Suzuki Takayuki is part of the collaboration between Jakarta Fashion Week and Amazon Tokyo Fashion Week.
"We'll be sending two or three Indonesian designers to Tokyo next year," said Lenni Tedja, director of JFW 2017. "[They] will learn about the fashion industry in Japan for a couple of weeks and then present their collections at the Amazon Tokyo Fashion Week."
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