Indonesian women creatives of different eras & their stories

Written by Ilman Ramadhanu | Read in Indonesian

As the primary audience of the fashion industry, every inch of a woman’s life is dictated by fashion. From how women should look, feel, or act, fashion has in some ways contributed to that. Yet, once the veil is lifted, fashion remains an industry dominated by men. Here, women creatives from different eras share their experience and challenges in the Indonesian fashion industry with TFR News.

Being a woman creative in the 2000s

“Back then, the fashion industry was not as it is today,” said Chitra Subyakto, a renowned Indonesian fashion stylist and designer, “there weren't really a lot of stores, boutiques, designers, or brands.”

She started her career in fashion as a fashion stylist in a teen magazine Cosmogirl back in 2001. “Sarah Sechan who was one of the editors told me that I had a unique style, I had green hair and I liked to mix and match everything like encim with sneakers, so they thought I would be great as a stylist in a teen magazine and I joined them.”

Her career expanded as she started doing styling work for movies such as “Ada Apa Dengan Cinta 2” and “Laskar Pelangi” before founding her own fashion brand, Sejauh Mata Memandang.

For Chitra, the main difference between the fashion industry then and now is the medium through which it operates. “Back then, magazines were consumed by everyone which provided a rather easy pathway for people to enter the fashion industry, as opposed to now that feels more individualist due to social media.”

She explained that the magazine boom at the time created a more centralised fashion industry as it became a hub for creatives to meet and get their careers started. “A lot of store or boutique owners would fax us their latest collection to be featured. Fashion students would try to find a way to work in a magazine, because once you worked in a magazine, you would meet connections in the industry that will help your careers.”

While there was a more clear-cut passage to fashion back then, being a woman in the fashion industry presents a set of challenges particularly relating to the disparity in opportunities.

According to a study conducted by CFDA, Glamour, McKinsey & Company in 2018, only 14% of executive positions in 50 major global fashion brands are held by women. When asked about whether this statistic reflects the state of the fashion industry in Indonesia back then according to her experience, Chitra agreed.

However, she noted that although the landscape of the industry was dominated by men, it does not mean that there was not a place for women creatives. “While I do agree with that, when I worked at Cosmogirl my boss was a woman and the editors were largely made up of women. I also used to work at a concept store called Alun-Alun Indonesia where I worked with a lot of young women creatives. So I think that the percentage was just not yet balanced.”

Being a woman creative today

The lack of opportunity for women creatives in the fashion industry was the reason why five girlfriends in Yogyakarta created a women's creative collective called Tutti Frutti. Gina, Sari, Wangi, April and Ale, who respectively are audio visual artists, an illustrator and a fashion stylist, created Tutti Frutti shortly after finishing their studies in 2019 as a way to create opportunities for themselves.

Combining their own set of creative mediums, they produce fashion content for local brands, art installations, or audio visual work such as music videos or documentary films. Though, what sets them apart is that they strive to have 80% of each of their creations be the labour of women creatives.

“We wanted to create this to create opportunities, not only for ourselves, but also for other women working in the creative industry as well,” Gina explained. “Not only that, but we want to provide a safe space for women and also all gender identities who want to create,” Ale added.

Safe space is exactly the keyword that needs to be highlighted as they all have experienced some form of gender-based discrimination in their workplace when working with their male counterparts.

“For me as a stylist, I often feel like I’m not included during the initial creative process. So, they usually just assign me with the concept and tell me to build a look around it without considering or asking my ideas or thoughts about it first,” Ale explained. Gina and Sari also shared their experience about being the subject of misogynistic jokes or remarks in the workplace.

However, both Chitra and the girls from Tutti Frutti agreed that now Indonesian fashion has made progress in championing women creatives. For instance, as it pertains to opportunity for women, Chitra feels that now there are plenty of fashion brands in Indonesia that are run by women.

Gina expressed a similar opinion, saying she feels that the industry is more open as gender inequality issues begin to be highlighted, which allows her to get more opportunities and to echo messages of feminism in her work.

Women solidarity in the creative industry

There is a parallel from the stories of Chitra Subyakto and Tutti Frutti that could not go unnoticed. As fashion is still run by men, these women creatives find solidarity in each other to reach a common goal.

While the Tutti Frutti girls bond together to create their own pathways into the fashion industry, Chitra also has always tried to consciously find ways to collaborate with women creatives. “In Sejauh Mata Memandang, at least 80% are women and people from different sexualities. I think that happens just organically, but we consciously open our hands to everyone because I don’t ever want to differentiate,” she explained.

Chitra, as one of the prominent faces that promotes a more environmentally-responsible fashion practice and consumption in the Indonesian fashion industry, has collaborated with women leaders in this field. One example is with environmentalist activist Fawriza Farhan in a project where for each clothes purchased from Sejauh Mata Memandang, a tree is planted in the Leuser restoration area.

Chitra feels that collaboration between women in the creative industry is vital as there are social norms in place that are still against them. “As women, we are taught to compete with each other which has made women subconsciously feel insecure or not confident. This is why women need to be supportive towards other women. Also, things are just easier when done together.”