Fashion injection  

It has been a few years since I went to Jakarta (no points for guessing why), and aside from the “normal” sights of face masks and rubbing alcohol bottles, the city came across as pretty sane. The airport was organized and efficient, the highways smooth, and the infrastructure looked like it had improved. Yes, even more advanced than Manila’s.

The main reason for the trip? The annual Jakarta Fashion Week, which I have made a point to attend for a few years now. I was curious to find out how the pandemic may have affected an industry so dependent on physicality. On being out on display and being seen.

Zoom calls and work-from-home clearly dented the profits of many retailers and the clothing industry. Plus, the diminished income of those affected by the economic chaos slashed spending power. So how was it possible then that this event, devoted to a celebration of things that don’t fall within humankind’s definition of “necessities”, is able to survive the challenges of the past couple of years? And perhaps, even thrive?

Sure, Jakarta Fashion Week is a celebration of talent, beauty, and aesthetics. Sure, the business of luxury didn’t seem to have been impacted by a world in lockdown. But the world isn’t the same. How then does a showcase for the glamour industry navigate to the next phase, ensuring it stays relevant for a reborn world? How does it take the next evolutionary step to its mutation?

There I was, ensconced in glam fashion shows, gawking at cocky influencers parading their perfection. It was the Harry Halim show, a designer who apparently dresses Lady Gaga and other Hollywood celebrities. The audience itself was its own show. Evidently, there was no fear for high heels, bare skin, and outlandish outfits. And, for someone hyper-allergic to transgressing unspoken cultural mores, I was almost hyper-ventilating at the gender fluidity so evident in not just this glitterati audience, but at the parading models.

Men in corsets. Thigh-high boots. Ruffles and spandex. Who cares about normal? A relevant question, I thought, since one sub-tagline at the fashion week was “The Next Normal”.

Seated beside a French girl who was a buyer for the Paris market, I asked her if these outfits would sell to her clients. She made a delicate moue with her lips, and then diplomatically responded that celebrities in music videos seemed to be the target market. There was an answer. But the audience itself, composed of Indonesian celebs and the beautiful fashionistas, was another answer. Segments that the fashion industry shouldn’t ignore?

Speaking of segments, the Thursday afternoon show featured outfits by a brand called Morph, designed for the gamers. It was all cool gear and boxy shapes, hoodies, and metallic chips. E-gamer chic, for people who couch-surf the whole day. Or maybe that’s my preconceived notion --they may have conventions or competitions where they need to appear to be as cool as their handles. I wouldn’t have thought of it myself --but Jakarta Fashion Week opened up that possibility.

ButtonScarves sounds like a pretty ordinary, if cute, label. Indonesian entrepreneur Linda Anggreaningsih dreamed up the label to start selling some scarves and hijabs that were more upscale than ordinary. As it turned out, she had the right feel for just what the market needed, and her business began booming, expanding to Singapore and the Middle East.

Jakarta Fashion Week took notice. Founder of the festival, Svida Alisjahbana, bestowed the Pinterest-Pia Alisjahbana award on the young designer, recognizing her ability to spot the gap and plumb the market. Upscale scarves was, in hindsight, clearly equal to millions of dollars.

You might be wondering at where Pinterest came in on this. Do people even use that app? Well, apparently, 400 million people do, globally (just not in the Philippines). With billions of dollars in revenues, the app has turned its attention to populous Indonesia, and has been spending advertising budget on this geographic market. Hence, its appearance at the fashion week, together with Lazada and Mazda. So, it’s not just the ubiquitous cosmetic and fashion brands that have come to celebrate fashion, but a host of other lifestyle companies. And yes, another source of revenue for the fashion industry.

I planted a kernel of a suggestion for the closing speech of Jakarta Fashion Week. I whispered to the founder, perhaps the speech could be about fashion resistance. Fashion’s own war against the virus. And necessarily, its triumph. We will see whether my idea makes its way into existence, when the show closes on Sunday.