Indonesia aiming to be a major hub for fashion

Industry Minister MS Hidayat said that the four-day fashion event, which opened on Thursday, was expected to draw 30,000 people to check out the collections of at least 400 fashion brands and 200 designers at the Jakarta Convention Centre.
“The Indonesia Fashion Week [IFW] 2012 is an international trade event meant to rouse Indonesia’s creative economy,” Hidayat said, adding that the event sought to “apprise about local culture” at the international level.
Besides showcasing the products of brands and designers at the booths, the event will also feature fashion shows, beauty workshops and seminars on topics such as branding and trend forecasts.
“This is not just an event but a movement to revitalise fashion in Indonesia to turn the country into a world fashion hub,” Hidayat stated.
Based on ministry data, the fashion industry contributes 5.9 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product, equalling 71.9 trillion rupiah (Bt240 billion). |The industry has also created employment for 4 million peo-|ple, and contributed 50.3 trillion rupiah to the foreign exchange reserves.
He added that he expected other sectors in the creative industry to hold similar events to boost the industry’s growth to between 9 to 11 per cent, or equal to 537.8 trillion rupiah by 2025.
“The exhibition is also an avenue to promote the potential of lifestyle and fashion commodities,” he said.
Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said the fashion industry must give added value to its products by infusing them with innovation and creativity.
“We, therefore, support col-|laboration and networking between designers and craftsmen,” he said.
He added that designers played a key role in the industry as they were the ones who could transform the work of artisans, such as traditional cloth, into profitable objects in the market place.
“That is why designers should not be underestimated,” he stated.
One of the exhibitors, Gary Gregorius, who is the product |manager for Monstore casual wear, said that such events were important for networking and showcasing brands to big buyers from wholesalers and department stores.
“I am hoping to see business-to-business sales through brand participation in this event,” he said.
Monstore is a relatively small-scale brand, producing 2,000 pieces of clothing emblazoned with arty graphics on a monthly basis, with prices ranging between 150,000 rupiah to 250,000 rupiah.
Another exhibitor, Sissy Sidiyanti from Bugsy Delight, added that several exhibitors won support from the Indonesian trade ministry, which subsidised roughly 75 per cent of the rent fees for a 3-by-2-metre booth.
Bugsy Delight is a brand offering embroidered toddler clothing, producing about 100 pieces per month in their workshop, operated by three workers.
“This is very helpful for small industries because we could barely afford the 20-million rupiah rent,” she said.