The Fashion Heroines

(This article was published in Female Magazine Indonesia, April 2015.

Link to the original article.)

They challenged the obstacles to contribute to Indonesia’s fashion industry. With limitless creativity, imagination, and sincerity, they became our very own fashion heroines. These are the story of Shinta Ayu Handayani, a loving mother who raised her deaf son to be the youngest fashion designer in Indonesia; Irna Mutiara, a fashion designer who mentors students in Kudus; and Julia Hadi, a designer who brought back memories through jewelry.

SHINTA AYU HANDAYANI: TEACHING SOUND THROUGH COLOURS

Having a child with special needs is not the end of the world, said Shinta Ayu Handayani, mother of Rafi Ridwan, the youngest fashion designer in Indonesia. When Shinta was pregnant with her child Rafi 12 years ago, she was infected with the Rubella virus in the first trimester of her pregnancy. Doctors gave her a choice to continue the pregnancy with the risk of having a disabled child or abort the baby. She only had three days to consider until she finally decided to continue the pregnancy. July 20, 2002, little Rafi was born with hearing and speech impairment. Even so, Shinta was grateful to know that the virus doesn’t affect his sight. “I was hoping that Rafi has healthy eyes so he can explore the world,” she said.

Rafi grew up to be an energetic and cheerful little boy until one day, he asked a question Shinta will never forget. “Mom, what does sound like?” asked Rafi with sign language. “It saddened me at first, but then I finally explain to him that sound is like colors; there’s plenty of them. Some are cheerful, some are dark,” said Shinta. Rafi’s introduction to fashion began with his obsession with watching The Little Mermaid. He then asked another question, why Ariel doesn’t wear any clothes? Shinta encouraged Rafi to create a clothing design for the mermaid princess. He took his colored pencils and started to draw costumes in all shapes and colors. Blends of bright colors and detailed prints became the identity of his design up to this day. For Rafi, colors seemed to be his voice through silence. It is how he communicates and expresses his feelings.

Rafi’s further introduction to the fashion industry continued when he was nine. He won the I Got Talent contest organized by the I-Hear Foundation, a foundation for children with hearing loss. Within the same year, Shinta invited Rafi to Jakarta Fashion and Food Festival. “He was very enthusiastic to meet famous designers. We spent the day taking pictures with them,” said this mother of three.

Indonesian celebrity designer Barli Asmara, heard about the young boy’s passion for fashion. He organized a trunk show as a debut for Rafi and invited his clientele. Although the show only features seven of Rafi’s designs, it helps him reach some prominent people in the business. It took a year for him to finally stand on the runway of Jakarta Fashion Week, in a fashion show created in collaboration with Nonita Respati from Purana Batik and Ariani Pradjasaputra from Aarti, an ethnic accessories brand.

It doesn’t stop there. Rafi was invited to showcase his designs in Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne. Even Tyra Banks chose him to design some outfits worn by the contestants of America’s Next Top Models cycle 20.

IRNA MUTIARA: FINDING TALENTS IN KUDUS

She is one of the most prominent Muslim fashion designers in Indonesia, but she doesn’t want to enjoy success all by herself. In collaboration with Djarum Bakti Pendidikan from Djarum Foundation, Irna Mutiara shared her knowledge through education programs for fashion students at SMK NU Banat Kudus, Central Java. In a dress-making class for high school students, Irna acted as a mentor for the teaching staff and assisted in improving their fashion curriculum in September 2014.

The fashion department of SMK NU Banat Kudus is equipped with new and upgraded tools and materials, including Optitex Fashion CAD, a software for fashion design and pattern making in 3D, which is also widely used by top designers in Indonesia. Irna, who has been a designer since 1996, revealed that she wants to find the next big talent by giving them adequate equipment. “We have a growing number in the fashion industry, especially in the Muslim fashion. We can develop so many things in the Muslim fashion business, creating new clothing, veils, and accessories. As long as they can understand the ins and outs of the process, they will improve,” she said.

Irna started her career after getting her degree in fashion major from the Institute of Teacher Training and Education (now Indonesia University of Education) at Bandung in 1990. She worked as a designer in garment companies, then built her fashion brand in 1996. In 2006, Irna founded Trimoda Uptodate Group, the home of Indonesian Muslim fashion label Up2date. A year later, she released Irna La Perle, a bridal line with modest bridal gowns mixed in Western-style.

Through the fashion education program in SMK NU Banat Kudus, Irna hoped for more new designers from Indonesia that will compete in the global fashion industry. “I believe, one day, there will be a talented designer from SMK NU Banat Kudus who represents Indonesia to compete in the global fashion industry,” said the designer, a member of the Indonesian Fashion Designers and Entrepreneurs Association (APPMI).

JULIA HADI: OLD JEWELRY, NEW TASTE

“I am not a jeweler. I am a jewelry designer and an artist,” said Julia, opening our conversation. “I started designing for 12 years, while the business itself has been going on for 26 years since I was in college.”

It started from helping her mother organizing social gatherings, where she often met some of her mother’s socialite best friends. “My passion for jewelry started since I was a child. I am used to seeing my mother wear jewelry every day. I also wear jewelry at school and I got reprimanded a lot."

Her love for jewelry has grown bigger than she developed a boutique located in the Menara Batavia office building in Jakarta that houses a collection of luxury jewelry. She sells jewelry that she designed herself, also provides custom design and reconstructing old jewelry. “I saw some friends who spent a great deal of money to buy jewelry to match their outfits or wear old jewelry from their grandmothers on their wedding day. I said, give me your jewelry, and I will make it shine like new.”

Julia also saw a rising trend of custom-made jewelry. She believes custom jewelry should be made based on the client’s character. “There are three important things when making custom jewelry: education, satisfaction, and pattern. Just like clothes, jewelry also has its pattern. An earring, for example, should be designed based on the user’s ear shape,” said Julia, who moved to the United States in 2010.

There is a reason why she decided to manage her business from her office, not shopping malls. She wants to spend more time with her children. “Many people told me to open a boutique at the mall, but then I will have to leave my children for hours, following the store’s operational hours,” she said.

Now that her children have grown up, she has more time to manage her business, but she still doesn’t want to expand her business by renting spaces in shopping malls. Her boutique stays in Menara Batavia, a 32-story building in Central Jakarta, facing the incredible views of Jakarta’s skyscrapers. “I love to enjoy the city view while working. It feels relaxing,” Julia said.