Fashion industry becomes major driver in Indonesia’s creative economy

The ongoing 8th Jakarta Fashion Week, the largest ever held in Southeast Asia, is demonstrating just how much the fashion industry has become a significant driver in Indonesia’s creative economy.

The week- long annual event, presenting the latest designs, was attended by 230 models and 250 designers from Indonesia, Australia, India, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the UK.

Over the course of the week, more than 3,000 outfits, from ready- to- wear to haute couture clothes, are being displayed through 70 shows staged at a lavish shopping mall in Jakarta.

More than 30,000 fashion enthusiasts are expected to flock to the event that will end later this weekend.

“This is the right time to introduce and show off Indonesian fashion labels to visitors, enabling them to witness and experience the good quality and creativity of our talented designers who are comparable to international ones,” Svida Alisjahbana, the cheif organizer for the Jakarta Fashion Week, said in her opening speech.

“This event may bring us on a par with Milan, Paris, London and New York,” Jakarta Deputy Governor Jarot Saiful Hidayat said in his remarks on opening day.

Indonesia’s fashion industry earned 208.6 trillion rupiah ($ 16 billion) last year, accounting for 28.29 percent of total earnings in the country’s creative economy.