Reviving Indonesia's Textile Heritage At Fashion Week

JAKARTA, May 30 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Models strutted down the runway of Indonesia Fashion Week (IFW) 2025, transforming into living canvases that showcased the rich heritage of the archipelago through meaningful garments, under dazzling lights and resonant musical rhythms.

The country's largest fashion event, reported Xinhua, takes place from May 28 to June 1 in Jakarta, featuring works from over 200 designers and tenants from across the archipelago, alongside fashion shows, exhibitions, talk shows, and creative forums to support a competitive, inclusive, and sustainable fashion ecosystem.

Designers from Armenia and a guest designer from Malaysia also took part in this vibrant celebration of cultural fashion.

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One of the highlights of IFW 2025 was the collection by Essy Masita from Yogyakarta, titled "Timeless Tradition." Her pieces blended lurik textiles from Yogyakarta and Central Java with other Indonesian heritage fabrics such as handweaving (tenun) Badui from Banten, hand-drawn batik from Java, ulos from North Sumatra's Batak culture, and tenun Sumba from East Nusa Tenggara-all reimagined in contemporary urban silhouettes.

A standout look featured a tenun Sumba-based dress paired with a long lurik outerwear adorned with original tenun fringe-an ensemble rich in both aesthetics and meaning. To Essy, traditional Indonesian textiles (wastra) are more than just material -- it is a medium of storytelling and cultural identity.

"I want younger generations to wear wastra with pride, not just during traditional ceremonies, but in their everyday lives," she told Xinhua. Since 2000, Essy has been dedicated to bringing wastra into the fashion spotlight, working directly with local weaving communities to ensure an ethical supply chain that empowers women.

She recently showcased her collection at fashion weeks in Australia, following appearances in London, Milan, and Paris.

Another standout designer was Yuni Pohan from North Sumatra with her collection "Melayu Megapolitan," which featured 11 looks blending the traditional Deli Malay kebaya and songket from Medan with megamendung batik motifs, floral patterns, bamboo shoot designs, and delicate embroidery.

Yuni chooses to work with wastra because she believes that behind every motif lies a philosophy of life.

"Batik and Malay songket are not just beautiful. They tell stories about humanity's connection with nature, about love and struggle. For example, the bamboo shoot motif symbolises hope, fertility, and humility," she explained.

The presence of designers like Essy and Yuni proves that Indonesian wastra continues to evolve, no longer confined to traditional wardrobes, but stepping onto the global runway as a symbol of identity and contemporary expression.

Poppy Dharsono, chairwoman of the Indonesian Fashion Designers and Entrepreneurs Association (APPMI) and president of Indonesia Fashion Week 2025, emphasised that Indonesia's heritage is rich with diverse textiles and adornments from hundreds of ethnic groups, from Acehnese songket and Lampung's tapis to Javanese and Balinese batik, and Papuan handweaving.

She stressed that wastra is a living cultural identity that continues to grow within Indonesia's fashion industry, with each motif and technique reflecting deep-rooted philosophies and local wisdom.

"Fashion is more than appearance. It is a form of cultural expression and identity. Indonesian wastra is more than fabric, it is a living heritage continuously developed by creative designers," said Poppy.

Through Indonesia Fashion Week, she hopes traditional textiles will become a main source of inspiration for world-class modern fashion, while also grounding cultural values within the global fashion industry.  

--BERNAMA-XINHUA