Threading History Through Indonesian Fashion
Jakarta. The word “fashion” almost always refers to women. It may be because of the tremendous growth and dynamism of women’s clothing, in terms of styles, fabrics, colors and designs.
Men’s fashion, on the other hand, has not changed much for decades. And sometimes men do envy women for that.
A client of Indonesia’s favorite fashion designer, Musa Widyatmodjo, recently scolded him for this.
“He said to me, ‘Musa, you’ve made so many beautiful dresses from Indonesian tenun [handwoven fabric] for my wife and daughters. When are you going to make something as stunning for me?’” Musa recalled with a chuckle.
That simple question challenged the 50-year-old designer.
“My client is a prominent businessman who can afford a lot of nice and elegant suits,” Musa said. “But apparently he’s bored with the similar styles and motifs of men’s outfits.”
So the designer took several pieces of unique traditional textiles from his immense personal collection and experimented with them.
“Indonesian tenun is indeed very beautiful, but it’s not easy to convert it into wearable outfits for men,” he said.
Indonesian traditional textiles were originally made to be worn as sarongs or blankets and are thus naturally rather thick and coarse, making them less than suitable for everyday clothing.
The motifs woven or embroidered into traditional fabrics often portray objects of pride in their tribes and villages and are bold and prominent. Today’s men may look a bit out-of-place when they wear suits made of these fabrics to the office or to business meetings.
But that doesn’t mean that men shouldn’t wear tenun, Musa decided. With a touch of creativity and innovation, he has successfully incorporated Indonesian tenuns into elegant outfits for men.
The trick, he said, is to “marry them with modern fabrics. That’s how I translate my love for Indonesian traditional fabrics.”
Musa, who studied fashion design at Drexel University in Philadelphia, is well-known for his love of exotic textiles.
He started his career in Jakarta in 1991 by establishing his office and workshop, Musa Atelier. His first label, “Musa Widyatmodjo,” specialized in custom-made evening wear for women, and proved to be a huge success among local celebrities and socialites.
Musa also became actively involved with the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association (APPMI) and served as its chairman from 1999 to 2002.
During his time there, he said, “many weavers and traditional artisans came to me and asked me to buy their products so that they could survive in today’s fashion industry.”
Their urgent requests prompted the designer to get to know more about Indonesian traditional fabrics and the craftsmen behind them.
“Each artisan is like a data bank of traditional motifs,” he said. “They know hundreds of intricate motifs by heart and can weave them perfectly without looking. In fact, they usually weave while chatting with their friends.
“This knowledge and expertise is passed down in an oral tradition. There are no written records of these traditional patterns and how to make them anywhere in the world,” Musa added. “So unless we capitalize on them, we won’t be able to perpetuate this art and it will be lost forever.”
Since then, Musa has been working with weavers from many parts of Indonesia and using their handiwork in his fashion collections.
Today, the designer has two very successful labels for women — the eponymous one for exclusive, custom-made clothes, and a ready-to-wear brand, “M by Musa” — and corporate uniform label “Musa Co.”
In all, his business turns out 1,500 pieces of clothing each month.
At the recent Jakarta Fashion and Food Festival (JFFF) at the Kelapa Gading Mall in North Jakarta, Musa launched his men’s label, “Musa Widyatmodjo Men’s Collection.”
The label’s debut collection, themed “Luxury Man,” consisted of 70 semi-casual and formal looks for men, each item a combination of modern fabrics from local textile producers, as well as tenun and batik by local artisans.
“I named it ‘Luxury Man’ because now men can truly luxuriate in Indonesia’s traditional riches,” Musa said.
One outfit combines lurik, a handwoven fabric with a pattern of stripes from Central Java, with tenun featuring bold animalistic patterns from Sumba Island, and dark indigo polyester fabrics, all in a formal suit.
The result is both swank and elegant.
“My designs are serious and edgy,” Musa said. “You can look neat and proper, but never boring in them.”
In another outfit, he combines three-dimensional batik with a kawung (palm frond) motif; tie-dye tenun from Troso village in Central Java; and tie-dye tenun from the town of Ende, in East Nusa Tenggara, in a bronze-hued power suit.
“In this collection, we can clearly see that Musa is indeed a highly creative designer,” said Dwi Sutarjono, the editor-in-chief of a men’s lifestyle magazine, after the show. “And creativity is of the utmost importance in the world of fashion.”
Musa’s creativity also extends to men’s pants. Made with thick polyester, the pants in his new collection are highlighted with patches of tenun or batik around the pockets or waist for a unique look.
“Musa’s men’s collection is eye-catching, without being showy,” said Lukas Ginting, marketing manager of Trisula Textile Industries, which supplied the polyester fabric used in the collection.
“Polyester is so comfortable to wear,” Lukas said. “It’s breathable, yet unlike cotton, it’s doesn’t wrinkle easily. Its colors also stay for quite a long time.”
TTI has been working with Musa for five years now.
“[Musa] is very smart and humble,” Lukas said. “He’s also a visionary. He can foresee the upcoming trends for many years to come.”
Some of Musa’s new looks were quite relaxed, including short-sleeved shirts paired with shorts, capris or jogging pants.
His semi-casual shirts are vibrant, with a combination of fresh colors and patterns.
“It’s a bit of K-pop,” the designer said with a chuckle. “I love their uber-stylish designs and brave combinations of contrasting colors and patterns.
“Yet with the addition of a kopiah [Islamic skullcap], these items can easily transform into elegant Muslim attires,” he added.
Musa’s men’s collection is currently available at the Central Department Store at the Grand Indonesia mall in Central Jakarta; Galeries Lafayette at the Pacific Place mall; and The Catwalk at Kelapa Gading Mall. The items range in price from Rp 2.5 million to Rp 7.5 million ($188 to $564).
Every customer can get free alteration services at his studio in Kemanggisan Utama, West Jakarta.
“It’s part of our after-sales services,” Musa said.
He also expects to explore international markets with his fashion brands.
“I want my brands to be locally resourced and made, yet internationally famous,” he said. “But I also realize that it may take 20 or 50 years of hard work to be able to achieve it.”
The Peak
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For more information, check out musaatelier.com.
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