Indonesia

There is a saying in Indonesia, Sandang Pangan Papan, which means clothes first, food second, and house third. Fashion is not limited to dressing and covering the body. Fashion is culture, industry, and diplomacy.

    At 3:30 in the morning, getting up, washing, and going out, without the heat and noise of the day, on the back seat of the car on the net, a refreshing and tranquility came oncoming. At 4:30 in the morning, I rushed to the Indonesian National Convention Center. The huge electronic screen of "Indonesia International Fashion Week" towered high, illuminating the night sky of Jakarta at dawn.

    It is slightly different from the usual interviews, because among the hundreds of models yawning and practicing on the stage, there is also a friendly guest author.

    The opportunity between the author and "Indonesia Fashion International Week" starts with an interview in 2016. Back then, when I first arrived in Indonesia, the author was full of curiosity: Why is a fashion week held in the National Convention Center? The president and his wife still attend the opening and closing ceremonies? Then, I took a closer look. The female minister of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries actually took a catwalk on the stage.

    “Isn’t there a saying in China, food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and four major events in life.” Ms. Bobbi, chairperson of the Fashion Week Organizing Committee and chairman of the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association, was obviously very concerned about the author’s question of "outside the Chinese style". “There is also a saying in Indonesia. Sandang Pangan Papan means clothing first, food second, and house third. You see, our ancestors have long thought of going together." Poppy believes that fashion is not only limited to clothing, fashion is culture , Is it industry or diplomacy.

    Speaking of the uniqueness of Indonesian fashion, the author's biggest feeling is that the cultural heritage is rich and profound. Poppy also agrees on this point, because the diversity of Indonesian culture determines the most basic elements of the fashion industry-the difference and richness of fabrics and designs, which also gives Indonesia's fashion development path a strong national and regional color. Looking at the road to the industrialization of Indonesian fashion, it should be said that it is of its own kind. Sebastian, one of the three high-end custom designers in Indonesia, believes that the Indonesian fashion industry must not become a vassal of the West, and must establish its own production system and operation model, "a piece of top Denon fabric in East Nusa Tenggara. It takes a weaver's life to complete it, which is invaluable." After hundreds of years of inheritance, Indonesian handicraft culture has formed a unique and complete craft system. It is their direction to build a "Fashion Craft Capital".

    So, how do Indonesian fashion leaders view the exchanges between China and the Indonesian fashion industry? What are your expectations for the coordinated development of the industries of both parties? Another high-end custom designer, Tex, who is responsible for the design of the heroine of the Hollywood blockbuster "The Hunger Games", believes that Paris is world-renowned for high-end fashion, but its industrial system and manufacturing level have been tempered for hundreds of years; Large-scale clothing production capacity is well-known around the world, and high-quality and cheap Chinese fashion has almost swept the international ready-to-wear market. "In contrast, Indonesia cannot compete with these fashion industry powers in the above-mentioned fields and must rely on differentiation to seek development."

    It is better to say than to do, someone has already acted. As the first China-Indonesia fashion cooperation under the framework of “One Belt, One Road” and “ASEAN+1”, Sebastian has taken the first step this time. Not long ago, with the support of JD.com (Indonesia), he held an annual conference called CROMIA in Jakarta, and the series of limited edition ready-to-wear garments were launched simultaneously. He told the author that over the years, he has been studying and studying the development trend of China’s advanced industries. “Why don’t the two countries’ fashion industry jointly build a transnational industrial system, cultivate international talent teams, and formulate industrial chain technical standards? Indonesia has just finished hosting the Asian Games. , Let us join hands with China to create an "Asian Games" in the fashion industry, and make a concerted effort to give out the "Asian Voice" of fashion culture and the fashion industry."

    Because of this, the author is full of confidence in China-Indonesia fashion cooperation. China-Indonesia friendly relations have a long history, and the economic, trade and cultural exchanges between the two sides, including the fashion industry, also have a long history. For example, Poppy, she accepted the invitation of Mr. Deng Pufang to hold the "ASEAN Fashion Show" in Beijing decades ago. To this end, she hopes that the Chinese and Indonesian fashion circles can complement and learn from each other, achieve mutual openness, mutual support, and differentiated development, and become good partners in jointly building the Asian fashion market and developing Asian fashion culture. At the invitation of Fashion Week in March 2019, I also look forward to strengthening cooperation between the two countries in fashion education and cultivating future talents."

    "Why is it fashionable or diplomatic?" Faced with the author's last question, Bobbi changed his words: "How tall are you?"

    "1.84 meters."

    Poppy smiled and proposed: "You come to come and experience my model experience, and we will invite the Chinese ambassador to Indonesia to come to the show together!"