Design means different things in different contexts due to the religious, social and political differences that exist in every culture. Each culture places a different weight on these issues and in Indonesia there is a heavy influence of religion and ancient customs within their culture and this has been demonstrated in the contemporary fashion within the country.
(Itang Yunsaz Spring/ Summer 2015 Collection )
“Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, with there being over 88 percent practicing Muslims, therefore the Islamic culture has a strong and widespread influence.” (Shahzeen Eram 2015) As a nation that regards religion as a significant part of their culture, fashion and design have progressed in Indonesia catering to what Indonesian Muslim women want to wear.
Each part of the body has its own physiological purpose and a different symbolic meaning. But each part of the body also holds a different significance in every culture. ‘While the head has been almost universally recognized as the seat of consciousness, the Japanese give the nape of the neck a sexual significance that it does not posses in the west. The feet, while occasionally fetishized in the West, are still seen in some tribal societies as offering evil spirits a way to enter the body from the earth and in many parts of southeast Asia they are so closely associated with dirt that revealing the soles of the feet in public is considered a huge insult’ (McDowell 2013 pp. 46-47)
Islam’s influence on Indonesia originated from trade with India in the thirteenth century and has resulted in the hijab becoming a common and symbolic piece of clothing for Indonesian Muslim women. This concealment of the hair holds a strong religious and symbolic meaning for Indonesian Muslims and has prompted fashion designers to involve beautiful and intricate designs when producing hijabs to meet the demand for Indonesian Muslim women wanting there hijab to be a fashion statement. “In today’s global competitive marketplace, style for the modern Muslim woman is evolving; incorporating fashion from the West while at the same time appreciating traditions and believes of the generations before.(Ratna Dewi Purnamasari 2013)
(Itang Yunsaz Spring/ Summer 2015 Collection )
One such designer who has embraced designing solely for the contemporary Muslim Woman is Fashion designer Itang Yunsaz. In Jakarta Fashion Week 2015 Yunsaz showed his Spring/ Summer 2015 collection that utilized a variety of weaving techniques from central and eastern Indonesia, such as Balinese weaves and Sumba Ikat weaves. This collection has been highly commended and Yunsazs presence within the fashion industry demonstrates the demand for remarkable and contemporary fashion for Muslim Women.
References
Shahzeen Eram 2015, Wearing hijab in style, Indonesian women stress faith on Islamic culture, Arab News, viewed 30th April 2015, <http://www.arabnews.com/news/700901>
McDowell, C. 2013, The Anatomy of Fashion, Phaidon Press Limited, New York
Ratna Dewi Purnamasari 2013, The Rise of Muslim Fashion Industry in Indonesia, Jakarta Globe, viewed 30th April 2015, <http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/blogs/the-rise-of-the-muslim-fashion-industry-in-indonesia/>
Indonesia Global Design Studio 
It’s really great to see a designer embracing the hijab as there is such a large audience who would love the designs. We always see the ladies in the United Arab Emirates who look non-descript while wearing A hijab but are actually wearing Gucci, Michael Kors etc ( all the big fashion clients) underneath.
I think it’s great seeing fashion embracing religious and cultural context into it. These garments look absolutely stunning!
It is an interesting notion that typically muslim fashions are becoming more increasingly influenced by more ‘western’ fashions and have assimilated such features. In the reverse, it has been seen time and time again in populous fashion collections/editorials/stylising, the adoption of design features of cultures or religions that are deemed ‘interestingly different.’ Those responsible can often come under fire and accused of cultural appropriation. It would be interesting to know if in reverse, these designers that take on a ‘western aesthetic’ into their Islamic marketed designs are similarly critiqued.
These garments are beautiful. Fashion is such a large thing that is influenced from all over the world. It amazing to think that culture and religion can be embedded into these designs yet look so elegant and high fashion. I wish Australian culture had more of this.