This Eid al-Fitr Muslim holiday, Malaysian Sharifa Ahmad is determined to make heads turn in her “Made in Indonesia” outfit —a black flowing chiffon robe with embroidered neckline and matching headscarf hand stitched with Swarovski crystals.
“The dress is perfect for the holy day — modest yet elegant. I’m definitely going to rock my little black Islamic dress,” the 35-year-old civil servant said.
Ahmad is among a growing number of Muslim fashionistas across the region who visit Indonesia to splurge on new festive clothes to celebrate the end of the Ramadanh on Friday.
PHOTO: AFP
The country’s Islamic fashion industry reported a spike in sales of between 20 percent and 30 percent as early as June, thanks mainly to buyers like Ahmad from Malaysia and Singapore, retailers said.
Busloads of women flock to textile markets in cities like Jakarta and Yogyakarta to buy fabric, ready-to-wear dresses and headscarves, textile seller Azizah said.
“They will come in tour buses, choose what they like and buy 10 to 20 pieces of fabric. When they return to their countries, some telephone us to place more orders,” she said.
Ahmad flew on a budget airline from Kuala Lumpur in July, bought the fabric at a textile market in Jakarta and sent it to an Indonesian seamstress “to work her magic” before getting an friend to post it to her in Malaysia.
“I paid 600,000 rupiah [US$66 dollars] for it, half of what I would pay if I had it made in Malaysia. It’s a bargain for designer quality,” she said.
Chiffon, silk and crepe fabrics draping the silhouette in softer pastel colors, highlighted by delicate embellishments on the neck lines, are top fashion picks this year. Plainer headscarves strewn with Swarovski crystals replaced last year’s heavily embroidered beehive and turban craze.
“Some people shop for themselves. Others buy to resell. They would buy 10 yards of fabric of the same design in three colors, tailor the dresses here and sell them at a higher price in their boutiques back home,” textile merchant Vishal Kumar said.
Hoping to cash in on one of the most important dates on the Islamic calendar, Islamic fashion designer Dian Pelangi flew to Cairo, Abu Dhabi, London, Australia and Malaysia several months ago to hawk her wares. She said she sold “thousands” of pieces from her Eid collection at exhibitions in those countries for about 2.5 million rupiah each.
“Arab women are glamorous. They love their bling. My Islamic brown robes with hand-drawn batik detail at the bottom were sold out. Those with beadwork and rhinestones were also popular,” she said.
“Middle Eastern customers don’t bargain much and when they like something, they buy a lot. Some buy 20 to 30 pieces at one go. It’s a very lucrative market,” Pelangi said.
Sales of her Islamic dresses, priced from US$20 to US$300, tripled in July and jumped 10 times last month as local buyers joined in, she said.
Indonesia offers lower prices, quality workmanship, creativity in design and a variety of fabrics, from batik and ikat weaving to gold-threaded songket.
Hassan Marican, director of Singaporean company Second Chance Properties, said it imported 20 percent of its ready-made festive dresses from Indonesia and sold them at double the cost price.
“We buy from Indonesia because it’s cheap. For us businessmen, it all boils down to the price. Also we want some embroidery and beadwork. Our suppliers in China and Malaysia can’t provide that,” he said. “For Islamic fashion, Malaysia and Singapore always look to Indonesia for pointers. They’re very creative. Their headscarf designs are unmatchable.”
Industry Minister MS Hidayat said export of textiles and textile products this year was projected to reach US$10 billion, up from US$9.26 billion last year, or about 8 percent of total exports.
While fashion creations represented only a small fraction of those exports, there is great room for expansion, he said.
“Fashion products have great potential to be developed. We’re rich in natural resources and cultural heritage which can be inspiring and spur creativity,” he said.
He hopes Indonesian designers can help change the world’s perception that Islamic attire is dull, stuffy and unfashionable.
“Sometimes when you mention Muslim or Islam, people develop an allergy. They think it’s a very scary religion,” Indonesian Fashion Designers Association chairman Taruna Kusmaryuda Kusmayadi said.
“Islamic attire can be both modest and stylish. And also fun. They aren’t worn only during special Islamic days by country folks who read the Koran day and night. Modern city women wear them too while filling up gas for their BMWs,” he said. “Islamic fashion is borderless.”
‘SHARP COMPETITION’: Australia is to partner with US-based Lockheed Martin to make guided multiple launch rocket systems, an Australian defense official said Australia is to ramp up missile manufacturing under a plan unveiled yesterday by a top defense official, who said bolstering weapons stockpiles would help keep would-be foes at bay. Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said the nation would establish a homegrown industry to produce long-range guided missiles and other much-needed munitions. “Why do we need more missiles? Strategic competition between the United States and China is a primary feature of Australia’s security environment,” Conroy said in a speech. “That competition is at its sharpest in our region, the Indo-Pacific.” Australia is to partner with US-based weapons giant Lockheed Martin to make
BEYOND WASHINGTON: Although historically the US has been the partner of choice for military exercises, Jakarta has been trying to diversify its partners, an analyst said Indonesia’s first joint military drills with Russia this week signal that new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto would seek a bigger role for Jakarta on the world stage as part of a significant foreign policy shift, analysts said. Indonesia has long maintained a neutral foreign policy and refuses to take sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict or US-China rivalry, but Prabowo has called for stronger ties with Moscow despite Western pressure on Jakarta. “It is part of a broader agenda to elevate ties with whomever it may be, regardless of their geopolitical bloc, as long as there is a benefit for Indonesia,” said Pieter
TIGHT CAMPAIGN: Although Harris got a boost from an Iowa poll, neither candidate had a margin greater than three points in any of the US’ seven battleground states US Vice President Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the final days before the election, as she and former US president and Republican presidential nominees make a frantic last push to win over voters in a historically close campaign. The first lines Harris spoke as she sat across from Maya Rudolph, their outfits identical, was drowned out by cheers from the audience. “It is nice to see you Kamala,” Harris told Rudolph with a broad grin she kept throughout the sketch. “And I’m just here to remind you, you got this.” In sync, the two said supporters
Pets are not forgotten during Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebrations, when even Fido and Tiger get a place at the altars Mexican families set up to honor their deceased loved ones, complete with flowers, candles and photographs. Although the human dead usually get their favorite food or drink placed on altars, the nature of pet food can make things a little different. The holiday has roots in Mexican pre-Hispanic customs, as does the reverence for animals. The small, hairless dogs that Mexicans kept before the Spanish conquest were believed to help guide their owners to the afterlife, and were sometimes given
RSS