Jakarta. A fashion show displaying sustainable, modest attires enlivened the annual Muslim Fashion Festival, or Muffest, at Kota Kasablanka mall in Jakarta on Saturday.

Viscose rayon producer Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) and three local fashion brands —namely Inen Signature, Salt N Pepper, and Geulis— teamed up to bring out 30 sustainable ready-to-wear modest collections for the fashion show. The models dressed up in modest attires all made from APR’s biodegradable viscose rayon.

Inen Signature decided to rock the stage with ten eco-print collections named “Secang Enchantment”. 

According to the brand’s founder Inen Kurnia, secang or sappan wood is popular among Indonesians for being an immune booster. The herbal plant is currently enjoying a rise in popularity following the coronavirus outbreak. Inen purposely chose sappan wood as a natural dye to illustrate the pandemic while also supporting sustainable fashion.

“With a natural dye, the fabric used must also be made of natural fiber and that is viscose rayon. The beauty of viscose rayon complements eco-print,” Inen told an online press conference prior to the parade.

“Sustainable fashion reflects our love for planet Earth.”

Next on the lineup was Salt N Pepper. This marked the first time for the local men’s fashion brand to work with APR on the Muffest fashion show. “With APR’s viscose rayon, we are showcasing a casual collection that suits millennials,” Salt N Pepper representative William said.

Last but not least was modest fashion brand Geulis. For the fashion show, Geulis went with a Japanese-inspired collection, “Haru”. 

Geulis’ spokesman Markus Happy Ganesha noted Japanese flowers and hexagonal patterns —often seen in kimonos— inspired the designs on Haru. He also revealed the Haru collection is the brand’s pilot project towards sustainability. 

“As part of retail, we really hope to become sustainable, but it is a long process from the upstream to the downstream. It requires a process where the buyers are hand-in-hand with the stakeholders,” Markus said.

Likewise, APR head of marketing communication Sheila Rachmat echoed the need to embrace sustainable fashion and hence, the catwalk’s sustainably modest theme. 

“In this current situation, sustainability has become even more important and inseparable from our daily lives  — starting from becoming responsible for the clothing that we wear to what we consume,” Sheila said.

She highlighted how APR remains committed to their sustainable agenda. APR continuously pursues sustainability certifications for their entire supply chain. “Since the beginning, we have never let go of our sustainable concept.”

Sheila hoped the fashion show can propel the pandemic-stricken creative economy towards recovery. "APR continues to support the modest fashion potential in hopes to recover the textile and creative industries as well as the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) amid this pandemic,"  she said.

"This also aligns with the ‘Everything Indonesia’ campaign which calls all parties to use raw material sourced and produced in Indonesia’s very own land in order to help Indonesia become the world's Muslim fashion hub." 

At this year’s Muffest showcase, APR also teamed up with local fashion brands Hurem by Fia and Mukena Arrumaisha.