Is Jakarta Set To Become The Muslim Fashion Capital?

By Nurul Halawati Azhari JAKARTA, July 13 (Bernama) -- Paris may be the fashion capital of the world, but Indonesia is looking to snag the title of the Muslim fashion capital. It recently held the Indonesian Muslim Fashion Festival Fashion (MUFFEST) in Jakarta with the theme #ScreenshootTheLook. Held from May 25 to 29, it featured some of the biggest names in the Indonesian fashion industry, such as Ria Miranda, Jenahara, Irna Mutiara, Restu Anggraini and Itang Yunasz. With a population of 250 million, 88 percent of whom are Muslims, the fashion industry is a rather promising one for the country’s economy. The rising popularity of modest wear is among the biggest revolutions of the world’s fashion industry, as it revealed that decorous fashion were appealing to not only Muslim women. Even designer fashion labels like Dolce & Gabbana, Oscar de la Renta and Tommy Hilfiger have come up with modest clothing designs to fulfill the demands of a wider market, particularly in Asian countries and the Middle East. Such trends create modest wear that are not only fashionable and creative but are beautiful and comfortable as well. The MUFFEST 2016 Project Director Taruna K. Kusmayadi hoped that the festival would combine the beauty of the variety of Indonesian designs so that it could compete in the global market. The clothing lines featured during the MUFFEST 2016 were more towards the ‘ready-to-wear’ range, while featuring heavily the elements of local culture. This is in line with the Indonesia Trend Forecasting (Muslim Fashion Trend) for the 2017/2018 season. “One of the ways branding is done is through social media, which we hope this can take the diversity of Indonesian designs to a global audience,” he said as quoted to CNNIndonesia.com. MUFFEST, which took place at Plaza Selatan & Tenggara Senayan in Jakarta, saw 250 fashion industry movers featuring their work at the exhibition as well as on the runway. Thousands thronged the exhibition, including fashion house representatives, business buyers and the international media. The runway show was open to not only those in the fashion industry, but the public as well. The concept of bringing fashion to everyday people seems to have been taken up well in the capital city, as many of those attending the exhibition showed up in ‘mix and match’ ensembles with designs of Indonesian influence. The writer noted that Indonesian women in hijab seemed bolder in taking their fashion choices to the public platform, compared to their contemporaries in Malaysia. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT MUFFEST is supported by the Indonesian government through is Trade Ministry, Industry Ministry, the Ministry for Cooperatives and Small and Medium Industry and Tourism Ministry. Not only did it feature creations by established designers, it also gave aspiring designers a chance to obtain new knowledge through seminars, workshops and talk shows. New designers also had the opportunity to have their creations paraded on the runway. Despite the overall positive outlook for Indonesia’s fashion industry, popular designer Itang Yunasz said that it would be overly optimistic to assume that Indonesia would become the Muslim fashion capital by 2020. Itang, whose 30 designs at the festival were based on the "Sawunggaling" (East Javanese) batik theme, said such ambitions could not easily be achieved without the full support of the government. He based her view on several factors, some of which included the industry’s unpreparedness due to insufficient manpower and inadequate support from the country’s leadership. “At this moment, we are still waiting for local manufacturers who can support and work with us, to inspire us until we can finally become the producers of ready to wear clothings as well as the capital of Muslim fashion,” he said. Earlier, the senior fashion designer encouraged the industry’s newcomers to be motivated in seeking knowledge and acquiring the experience needed to compete globally. “If you want to become an established designer, you need to learn all there is to know about fashion, or attend fashion school, be it for formal education or a short-term course. “I am hoping that those who are still young or have the time, to attend fashion school. Once you graduate and become a designer, it is better to work with another designer,” he advised. He said such experience was good for exposure and learning the trade, in addition to building connections with those who can help them become better designers. MUFFEST 2016, however, proved to be a step in the right direction as it garnered the support of member countries of the Islamic Fashion and Design Council (IFDC). Designers under IFDC from Malaysia, Turkey, Italy, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh all attended the festival. Malaysia, through the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and STYLO International, was represented by the designers of six fashion labels namely Ainibakker by Nor Aini Bakker, Yans Creations by Yani Bakhtiar, I Love Wirda by Wirda Adnan, Azura Couture by Azura Mazaruddin, Durrah Jewellery by Durrah Khalil and Sara J by Sara Jamaludin. Their participation is also seen as a means of promotion for the Malaysia Fashion Week 2016 in Kuala Lumpur this November. -- BERNAMA