Jumbo-Sized Jakarta Fashion Week Struts to Success

Fashion is big business in Indonesia, a Southeast Asian nation that is home to more than 200 million people. How big, you ask? Try employing more than three million people and contributing some $15 billion to the economy.

So yeah, it is big.

Jakarta Fashion Week’s sixth edition came to a close Friday, Oct. 26, and to say it wasn’t a decadent fete of fun and fabric would be akin to denying that Bali has some of the best beaches on earth. Over 200 designers from across Indonesia’s approximately 17,508 islands and throughout Asia and the Pacific came together at the Senayan City shopping mall in Jakarta to showcase their Spring/Summer 2014 collections.

Last year’s show was hampered significantly by a typhoon that nearly derailed the entire week, but the 2013 edition was mercifully foul weather-free. That meant things could get going with a bang right from the start, and the bar was certainly set high.

Tex Saverio kicked things off during opening day Oct. 19, showcasing collections from his freshly launched ready-to-wear line, Tex Saverio Jakarta. Just back from the catwalks of Paris Fashion Week, where the line was recently launched, vibrant colors like cerulean blue, chartreuse green, champagne and jet black were paired with shimmery, holographic and sheer materials, giving the collection an edgy but light and carefree feeling. With the collection, Saverio, who has dressed celebrities including Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian, showed that evening wear doesn’t always have to be taken with stone-faced seriousness.

But Saverio was one of just 77 different shows that took place on what was a 35-meter (115-foot) runway. Nur Zahra showcased folk designs in organic materials with natural colors, primarily indigo and khaki. Jenahara Nasution’s line “Eastern Opulence” was cut in sleek patterns with linings of flowing organdy and chiffon silk, accented with traditional Tasikmalaya embroidery from West Java. And Dian Wahyu Utami channeled the free spirit of the 1960s with bursts of bright colors in batik prints. If only Twiggy were around to walk in them.

But the real highlight of the week came during the final day, when the queen of Indonesian fashion, Obin (AKA Josephine Komara) presented her latest creations. The show was utterly massive: about 100 pieces showcased in 48 different looks. Woven cloth and batik dominated the collection, with batik on cashmere designs perhaps the most stunning. According to the designer, around 1,000 artisans were involved in the creation of the collection.

Design superstar Oscar Lawalata was another of the bona fide highlights. A sophisticated collection with vibrant colors and strong lines on prints, it was a perfect blend of traditional Indonesian style with modern innovation. Ready-to-wear separates dominated, but a semi-sheer black dress with daring slits cut in the front was especially arresting. Overall, it was a strong showing from one of Southeast Asia’s most famous designers.

Two hundred and forty designers and labels, 77 shows, 3,000 total looks and 350 international models. Jakarta Fashion Week was bigger than ever, putting Indonesia firmly on the fashion world’s map.

Paris should take notice.

Jakarta Fashion Week 2014 – October 19

Jakarta Fashion Week 2014 – October 20

Featured image: A model showcases designs by Tex Saverio at the Indonesia Fashion Forward fashion show. Photo Credit: Irvan Arryawan/Feminagroup.