What modest-fashion shows can learn from Jakarta this week

For modest-fashion shows around the world, the Jakarta Modest-Fashion Week is offering one major takeaway.

To better display the participating brands, connect them with buyers and drum up sales, the event is employing a new strategy to complement the usual fashion shows, walk shows, exhibitions and workshops.

The show’s organisers have tied up with Metro Department Store, a leading retailer based in Jakarta, to set up selling points in eight of its branches across the country. #JMFWPoints will also serve as after-show sales points for participants and will continue until end of the year. 

“This will give Indonesian modest-fashion lovers a taste of what the worldwide designers at modest-fashion weeks have in store for them,” said Franka Soeria from Think Fashion and the main organiser of the event. #JMFWPoints will help designers and brands to experience the market and showcase their products not only on the runway but also on display all across country.”

Designers are looking at #JMFWPoints as a much-needed marketing and sales tool to rev up their businesses. According to Indonesian designer Anggiasari Mawardi, founder of Anggia Handmade, #JMFWPoints offers high value for branding or rebranding modest-fashion products. Her company, which was founded in 2011, has stores in Bandung, Lampung and Makassar and uses social media extensively for marketing.

“JMFWPoints is seen as an important marketing strategy to promote and introduce our new collection to the global fashion industry.” Mawardi said. “Besides an opportunity to showcase our products in Jakarta, #JMFWPoints help us to evaluate the market pulse and design new products.”

Perhaps the biggest group that could benefit from #JMFWPoints are small-time designers and entrepreneurs like Huw Roman, one of the earliest modest-clothing brands from Japan. “For a small brand like us, having only an online presence is probably not enough,” Hiroko Maeomasu, the founder of the clothing line, told My Salaam. “It is critical for customers to be able to directly interact with and physically touch and feel the product before they decide to purchase.”  

“One of the key advantages of #JMFWPoints is that they are spread across Indonesia but do not focus on Jakarta alone. For our future decision-making, we hope that the sales data from these sales channels outside Jakarta will help us understand what the customers’ fashion choices are,” she added.

Maggie Hutauruk Eddy, Creative Director of 2madison Avenue, a local brand in Indonesia, said that it would present its debut modest-wear collection at the fashion week and that #JMFWPoints would help the brand gain a better exposure to the wider community: “Setting up after-show sales points is a great strategy. It’s especially great that the #JMFWPoints is set up well before the actual show. There are many fashion shows around that focus only on the ‘show’ side but not so much on the retail aspect.” 

She continued: “Metro Department Store has been around for many years and is very popular in Indonesia. Because of its many locations, participants at the JMFW can immediately have their collection distributed all over Indonesia without having to go through long and mundane administrative procedures. This is a great advantage.”

#JMFWPoints can be spotted at Metro department stores at Metro Gandaria City, Pondok Indah Mall, Plaza Senayan, Trans Studio Makassar, Trans Studio Mall Bandung, Puri Indah Mal, Taman Anggrek and Ciputra World Surabaya.

The JMFW will be held at Gandaria City from July 26 to 29. Besides a long list of Indonesian designers and brands others that will feature products at the event include Women of Haya and Adrianna Yariqa from Singapore, S by Samar and Desert Cove from the UAE and Rozai Hijab from Brunei.

The four-day event is a collaboration between Think Fashion and Markamarie Creative and is expected to have 25 fashion shows, workshops, exhibitions and talk shows.

(Writing by Seban Scaria seban.scaria@thomsonreuters.com)

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