Riau-based viscose rayon producer Asia Pacific Rayon, also known as APR, is bringing back its 2023 Jakarta Fashion Week collaborations to the Jakarta Fashion Hub (JFH).
At the 2023 JFW, five local brands —BT Batik Trusmi, Everyday, Geulis, FREDERIKA, Oline Workrobe— got to try transforming APR’s biodegradable rayon fiber into 48 stunning looks, ranging from contemporary batik to outfits that scream modern minimalist. And JFH visitors now can “re-see” all these works at JFH until Nov. 18.
According to APR head of business development Evelyn Santoso, the collaboration at the 2023 JFW is part of the company’s efforts to support the textile industry and sustainable fashion.
“This collaboration embodies our support for the Indonesian textile industry. We want to help brands, retail and fashion designers alike to make works that are especially sustainable and environmentally friendly,” Evelyn told a press briefing at the JFH on Wednesday.
“We chose to collaborate with these five brands because of our like-mindedness. We all want to promote the use of eco-friendly products,” Evelyn said.
APR head of marketing Zoey Rasjid said that “sustainable fashion becomes extremely critical for the global fashion ecosystem. Because of this, we hope APR’s support and the collaborative platform that we have initiated through the Jakarta Fashion Hub can also help spur Indonesia’s sustainable fashion.”
At JFH, visitors can take a closer look at FREDERIKA’s Sweet Plantation collection. As the name suggests, the stamped batik collection took inspiration from APR’s acacia plantation in Riau. Sweet Plantation encompasses ready-to-wear made from a blend of 40 percent rayon and 60 percent cotton. Some pieces use a 35-percent rayon and 65-percent polyester blend.
“Speaking of sustainable fashion, it is impossible for a person to be 100 percent environmentally-friendly in today’s modern world. But what we can do here is how to work on improving that, even though it might not reach 100 percent. That is why our brand mostly uses natural fibers. And we also use the leftover fabric to make the smaller products such as masks,” FREDERIKA’s owner Frederika said.
BT Batik Trusmi founder Sally Giovanny said that batik-making primarily uses cotton as its fabric. By using viscose rayon, BT Batik Trusmi can bring something new to its customers. “We love to innovate, and when we first showed the viscose rayon to our artisans, they got to learn that there are other fabrics out there aside from cotton,” Sally said.
The love story of Sunan Gunung Jati and the Chinese royal princess became the inspiration behind BT Batik Trusmi’s “Sejati Bersanding” collection. Sejati Bersanding portrays the merging of two different cultures.
Next is Everyday with “Shapes and Form”, a collection inspired by the skyscrapers, stations and business districts that we always encounter in bustling city life. The collection combines cotton and viscose rayon — each with a 50 percent blend respectively.
“Rayon is environmentally friendly and highly absorbent so the colors are more radiant and vibrant,” Everyday designer Prasastha told reporters.
Unlike the other four, Geulis was challenged to use APR’s lyocell — a form of rayon primarily made from wood pulp. Geulis took on the challenge and brought together a collection entitled “Bloom Refresher Spring Summer 2023” which is packed with layerings. Geulis also presented three new looks for its menswear brand Kasep.
“We are very lucky to work together with APR because we get the chance to turn their latest fabric into ready-to-wear looks for our Geulis women,” Geulis marketing head Markus Happy said.
Last but not least is Oline Workrobe with the trendy Niskala collection which uses viscose rayon to support sustainable fashion and minimize production waste.
Viscose and More Viscose: Revisiting APR x JFW Collaboration
Jakarta Fashion Hub
The Jakarta Fashion Hub is a collaborative space for fashion designers. At JFH, members can brainstorm and design fashion products or even collaborate with fellow fashion designers. JFH also offers its members access to APR’s sustainable and biodegradable viscose rayon.
Source: Viscose and More Viscose: Revisiting APR x JFW Collaboration (jakartaglobe.id)
