Blog Post A

Indonesia, a developing country that, at 12.7%, houses the largest Muslim population in the world (Map of the world 2015), have a very significant impact on the Muslim fashion industry. With a little over 202 million citizens (Map of the world 2015) that identify themselves as Muslims, the traditional Muslim dress has taken the spotlight in Indonesian fashion scene and is being revolutionised by designers into stylish, modern pieces.

The Indonesian fashion design industry is beginning to be noticed by the government, resulting in the implementation of the Indonesian Fashion Forward Program (Jakarta Fashion Week 2015). The reasoning behind the support of the government is due to the enormous economical benefits that the fashion industry provides, with the employment of 3 million designers and garment traders and an estimate worth of nearly $100 billion in the industry (New York Post 2013).

The Jakarta Fashion week in 2013 highlights the revolution of Muslim wear with designers such as such as Nur Zahra, which showcased Muslim clothing could be modest while also being fashionable and modern (Nur Zahra 2014). The company’s vision is to expand Muslim Fashion to women who are new to the Hijab and those who aren’t by creating intricate yet modest designs through the use of a special Japanese tie-dying technique called Shibori (Nur Zahra 2014).

Another technique making a come back is Batik, meaning ‘to dot’ in Javanese (Batik Box). Batik is a traditional fabric dyeing process that involves either ‘batik tulis’, or hand drawn, and ‘batik cap’, stamped, designs (Batik Box). The Batik is special in that every different region has it’s own unique symbols, prints and processes that have been part of their local culture for thousands of years. However, many young Indonesian regard the Batik as an “old fashioned” technique and look that isn’t modern or trendy. Fashion Designer Dian Wahyu Utami took a different approach by modernising the traditional batik prints through the use of bright, rich colours in cuts that are both comfortable and fashionable.

Indonesia’s government is pushing fashion forward with a focus on their local designers, while Indonesian fashion designers continue to examine the modernisation of traditional Muslim garments through both traditional techniques such as Batik and cross cultural methods such as Shibori. The result of this revolution could push the Indonesian fashion scene to take the main stage globally especially in countries such as India, estimating to take over Indonesia as the highest populated Muslim country by 2050 (The Times of India 2015)

Batik Box, About Batik, Indonesia, viewed on 20 April 2015, < http://www.batikbox.com/about_batik.html>

Jakarta Fashion Week 2015, Indonesia Fashion Forward, Indonesia, viewed on 20 April 2015, <http://www.jakartafashionweek.co.id/en/indonesia.fashion.forward>

Maps of World 2014, Top ten Countries with Largest Muslim Population, viewed on 20 April 2015, < http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/world-top-ten-countries-with-largest-muslim-populations-map.html&gt;

Miller, T 2009, Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population, Pew Research Center, America, viewed on 20 April 2015

Muslim Village 2012, Muslim Fashion light up Jakarta Fashion Week, Indonesia, viewed on 20 April 2015, <http://muslimvillage.com/2012/12/10/32784/muslim-fashions-light-up-jakarta-fashion-week/>

New York Post 2013, Indonesian designers aim to lead Muslim fashion industry, New York, viewed on 20 April 2015, < http://nypost.com/2013/10/24/indonesian-designers-aim-to-lead-muslim-fashion-industry/>

NurZahra 2014, About us,  Indonesia, Viewed on 20 April 2015, <http://www.nurzahra.com/nurzahra_new/index.php/nurzahra/about>

The Times of India 2015, By 2050, India to surpass Indonesia, will have largest Muslim population: Study, India, viewed on 20 April 2015, < http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/By-2050-India-to-surpass-Indonesia-will-have-largest-Muslim-population-Study/articleshow/46790174.cms#>

Image:

NurZahra 2014, Sacagawea Collection,  Indonesia, Viewed on 20 April 2015, <http://www.nurzahra.com/nurzahra_new/index.php/nurzahra/collections&gt;

Rony Zakaria 2013, Jakarta Fashion Week 2013, Jakarta, viewed on 20 April 2015, <http://www.mostresource.org/storybank/jakarta-fashion-week-wows/&gt;