Young Indonesian Designers Are Starting to Catch the Eye of Leading Parisian Brands

Press Release: For Immediate Release

Jakarta, October 1, 2018

Fashion designs by young Indonesian designers are beginning to attract the attention of renowned Parisian brands and investors after they showcased their creations at the FD Paris Fashion Show 2018. A number of fashion brands, such as OUI (Paris), Lulu (China), Printemps Department Store, Hugo, and Dior, have already begun discussing business collaboration opportunities with these emerging young designers from Indonesia. Hugo Paris has even expressed interest in collaborating with Indonesian designers for a fashion show in 2019.

Indonesia’s youngest designer, 18-year-old Aurelia Joyann Trudy, is currently holding meetings with potential buyers from France. “They were so excited that they immediately posted my collection and followed me on social media. Hichem, the Dior UK representative, even wants to introduce me to his contacts in Paris and the UK because he really loves my collection and knows a lot of buyers,” said Joyan Trudy during a business networking session held after the fashion show.

Another young, up-and-coming designer, Edrick Young, admitted he was deeply moved because American singer Kendra Erika considered his designs worthy of being worn on the Oscars red carpet. “I never expected them to really grasp the theme of my collection—they even said it was like seeing Santorini come to life. A Dior representative also said my collection reminded him of Christian Dior—unique and fresh. I was so moved when, during the closing, I walked with the models and they all gave me a thumbs-up,” said Edrick.

Trudy (18) and Edrick (21) are two of five young and emerging Indonesian designers selected by the Indonesian startup Fashion Division to showcase their designs at the FD Paris Fashion Show on September 28, 2018. Fashion Division also successfully brought other young designers—such as Amelia Barus (23), Daniella Grace (23), and Grashelli Andini (23)—as well as the renowned designer Tities Saputra, to introduce them to the fashion industry in Paris.

The Only Indonesian Startup at Paris Fashion Week

Fashion Division, a two-year-old startup from Indonesia, successfully held a fashion show during Paris Fashion Week 2019 titled “FD Paris Fashion Show” at Hotel Le Marois Salons France-Ameriques in Paris on Friday, September 28, 2018, at 6:00 p.m. local time.

The event attracted media and renowned brands far exceeding the initial target of just 250 guests. During the FD Paris Fashion Show, more than 400 guests filled the audience seats to witness the works of young and emerging Indonesian designers. Among the invited guests were representatives from world-renowned fashion magazines such as Vogue, Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire, as well as Hollywood actors Cody Longo and Kendra Erica. Fashion retailers and department stores such as Ge Xingyue, Printemps, Bridjahting, and Sasha Devos were also in attendance. Not to mention representatives from Dior and Hugo Paris, who not only attended but are already planning business collaborations with several young Indonesian designers.

Wulan S. Haryono, founder of the startup Fashion Division, never expected that the first fashion show ever held by an Indonesian startup in Paris would be packed with stakeholders from the Paris fashion industry. “We really didn’t expect the audience’s response to be so enthusiastic—it even overflowed, exceeding our target. They went out of their way to watch, even standing throughout the show. That’s because the audience was curious about Indonesian creations—after all, it’s not often that Indonesian designers put on a show in Paris. The FD Fashion Show was showered with praise, and people were quite surprised considering the designers are all very young—under 24 years old,” said Wulan.

Seeing the success of this first FD Paris Fashion Show, Fashion Division will once again liven up the Paris Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2019 event next February and plans to bring emerging designers from Asia to Paris as well.

About Fashion Division

Fashion Division Indonesia, operated by PT. Yamina Pertama Indonesia, is Indonesia’s first fashion-focused startup career center, established in 2015. Fashion Division Indonesia is dedicated to helping young designers through study tours to the Paris fashion industry, placing fashion students in fashion schools for advanced study, arranging internships for students at renowned fashion brands, and helping fashion designers showcase their collections in Paris.

Although still a startup, Fashion Division has partnered with many renowned multinational fashion brands such as Hermès, Galeries Lafayette, Unkut, Favelas, Esmod, and Premiere Vision Paris. Over the past two years, Fashion Division has helped 60 Indonesian fashion school students and fashion designers go international to Paris.