Front Row (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta ●
Thu, February 23, 2023
Indonesia’s largest annual fashion event, Indonesia Fashion Week (IFW), is marking its 10th year with a focus on the traditional textiles and culture of Gorontalo.
Organized by the Association of Indonesian Fashion Designers and Entrepreneurs (APPMI),
IFW 2023 is being held from Wednesday to Sunday at the Jakarta Convention Center.
Approximately 200 designers will unveil their creations at the five-day event, along with 400 exhibitors presenting locally made products, ranging from apparel and accessories to culinary delights.
IFW 2023’s opening ceremony on Wednesday, which featured a traditional Betawi dance routine and a performance by musicians Maria Calista and Kezia, was supported by the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry and the DKI Jakarta Tourism and Creative Economy Agency.
In addition, the ceremony also involved a musical performance by violinist Iskandar Widjaja and pianist Michael Anthony, alongside dancer Syandria.
Tickets to IFW 2023 can be purchased on Tokopedia, the event’s official e-commerce and ticketing partner. Tokopedia is also offering a livestreaming service for those unable to attend in person.
APPMI chairwoman and IFW president Poppy Dharsono said that in its 10th year, IFW had positioned itself as a platform for designers to collaborate with their respective provincial handicrafts council (Dekranasda) so as to gain insight, knowledge and market share.
“This year, we have been trusted by the province of Gorontalo to highlight their designers’ works so as to promote Gorontalo-made products on a national stage,” she said.
For this year, IFW 2023 took the theme of “Sagara dari Timur”. The word sagara is taken from the Sanskrit word for ocean, as IFW aims to bring a new wave of creativity in the fashion world by highlighting the beauty and marine life of Gorontalo province.
The marine inspiration was a prominent aspect of Gorontalo-based designer Agus Lahinta’s latest collection, which was unveiled at the opening ceremony. The 10 looks utilized Gorontalo’s traditional hand-embroidered karawo textile, which saw patterns inspired by wildlife such as the maleo bird and whale shark, as well as classic floral motifs reminiscent of tatudi flowers.
Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno, who attended the opening ceremony, highlighted the burgeoning potential of Indonesia’s creative economy, noting that the sector was responsible for 7.4 percent of the national GDP.
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Indonesia’s fashion industry, he continued, was the second-largest contributor to the national creative economy after the culinary sector, as well as making up 61.5 percent of the $23.9 billion in creative economy exports.
According to Poppy, IFW continues to promote the use of traditional textiles among Indonesian designers as the defining characteristic of Indonesian fashion.
“Our designers must have the view, the philosophy of their own heritage at the forefront so that Indonesian fashion and creative economy can become richer. Going forward, it will hopefully go beyond bags or shoes or accessories but also include the tools of the industry to become more integrated.”
