Over the last few weeks, Indonesian brands and influencers have been blowing the Internet as they are going to the capital city as well as the centre of couture of France during Paris Fashion Week. 

Paris Fashion Week is the most anticipated and prestigious fashion event which is held annually, where luxury brands present and showcase their collections for the spring/summer and autumn/winter seasons. It is organised by the French Federation of Fashion. 

Citing Urbansider, back in the early 1850s dressmaker Charles Fredrick Worth became the first fashion designer who presented his collections on live models. It was considered as a novel idea at the time. Worth then helped establish the trade association Chambre Syndicale de la Confection et de la Couture pour Dames et Fillettes, setting the stage for the French fashion industry. This was when the term “haute couture” came into use.

Fast forward to the 20th century, fashion events started to emerge in France and gained popularity to the point where it became the global capital of fashion. However, at that time, it was only held at private homes and designers’ ateliers. 

When France was occupied by Nazi during the WWII, fashion shows began to be held in the United States. In 1943, New York Fashion Week, originally called “Press Week”, was born. Italy followed suit, first in Milan in 1958 and later in Florence in 1972. London Fashion Week commenced in 1984.

In 1973, Paris regained its status as the forefront of fashion, as the historic fashion moment the “Battle of Versailles” was held. New American designers, such Oscar de la Renta, Anne Klein (who brought along her assistant Donna Kara), Bill Blass, Halston and Stephen Burrows, competed against French designers, including Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro and Marc Bohan of Christian Dior. 

A-list celebrities and notables such as Princess Grace Kelly, Marie-Hélène de Rothschild, Jacqueline de Ribes, Gloria Guinness, Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli and Joséphine Baker were invited to the event. The official Paris Fashion Week was then born and it is divided into several main events: Haute Couture, Ready-to-Wear and Men’s Fashion. 

In order to join the event, brands that meet the prerequisite need to submit their application  to the Paris Fashion Week website, and it will be assessed by their teams. For the Haute Couture category, the applications will be examined by the Committee of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.

With such historical background and prestige, some might wonder how Indonesian brands manage to join the PFW. Turns out, these brands are not joining the mentioned Paris Fashion Week – which sometimes is written as Paris Fashion Week® with the registered trademark symbol. Instead, they are joining a programme organised by Fashion Division (FD), an agency that allows brands to hold independent shows/performances during the fashion week. 

FD also partners up with Indonesian non-profit organisation Gekrafs (Gerakan Ekonomi Kreatif Nasional) which is formed to help develop the Indonesian creative economy ecosystem. 

Gekrafs clarified to TFR that since the beginning, it never claimed that it will be joining the official PFW, hence they are calling it the Gekrafs Paris Fashion Show. “What we did was to do a fashion show during Paris Fashion Week. It is easier to participate in the Paris Fashion Week rather than other countries' fashion weeks,” said Chief Committee Gekrafs Paris Fashion Show Temi Sumarlin. 

She added that the official on-schedule of Paris Fashion Week is focused on the Paris brand itself, and it takes a long time to get approved to enter.

“There are also many big brands that are not included in the on-schedule Paris Fashion Week. They create their own performances outside the PFW main events. So, basically yesterday's show was a good moment that Gekrafs created to open up opportunities for collaboration and exposure in Paris for Indonesian brands,” she added. 

Gekrafs sees the PFW as the momentum after the two-year pandemic, as during this time, Paris is visited by fashion enthusiasts with a lot of media covering this event, looking particularly for Asian involvement in the PFW. 

In the programme, Gekrafs brings 10 Indonesian brands to Paris, namely Scarlett x IKYK, 3 Second x Danjyo Hiyoji, Greenlight x Ican Harem, Shade Signature x Kosme Mask, Shademulsk x Dr. Lid, Yanti Adeni x Ayam Geprek Bensu, Brand no Brand, La Sabelle x Em En Hair Design.

In selecting the participating brands, Gekrafs refers to each brand’s portfolio as well as their ability to create their own collections, post-event production capacity and readiness. This is because one of the programme’s goals is to attract more buyers after the event wrapped up.

“For the cost of the programme, just like any kind of programme, of course we have to pay a certain amount of fee. However, this event is 100% paid by partners and collaborators involved, without the involvement of the government,” said Temi. 

Correction:

Gekrafs Paris Fashion Show at Paris Fashion Week 2022 is organised by Fashion Division. Gekrafs only accommodates and facilitates 10 brands joining the event.

There are mistakes in the brand lineup. The correct list is Scarlett x IKYK, 3 Second x Danjyo Hiyoji, Greenlight x Ican Harem, Shade Signature x Kosme Mask, Shademulsk x Dr. Lid, Yanti Adeni x Ayam Geprek Bensu, Brand no Brand, La Sabelle x Em En Hair Design.