Batik collections by Indonesian designers strolled at a fashion show in Canada held by the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) and the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) Vancouver, Canada, Saturday (28/8).

At least 12 selected collections of batik by Indonesian designer Entin Gartini, the Indonesian diaspora from Montreal, Canada appear in this event. Entin Gartini is one of the winners of the "Best Fashion Designer2021" award from Faces Magazine Ottawa with his work "Motif of waves" that brings out the beauty of the Indonesian sea.

The “Trunk Show” Fashion Show is the culmination of the 2021 Indonesian Trade Show series of events with the theme “A Flavorful Journey to Indonesia, Discover Indonesian Diversity and Heritage”. This event was held at the ITPC Vancouver office on August 25-27 2021.

“This fashion show aims to introduce and build a positive image of Indonesia and Indonesian products in the Canadian market. This promotional program takes advantage of the momentum of allowing meetings without restrictions on the number of participants in Canada as well as commemorating Indonesia's 76th Independence Day," said ITPC Vancouver Head Robby Handoko.

In line with the theme 'Indonesian Trade Show 2021', ITPC and the Indonesian Consulate General in Vancouver raised batik products, one of the cultural heritages and works of Indonesian ancestors that have been recognized worldwide. "Through batik, it is hoped that it will facilitate the introduction and acceptance of consumers and the public for accreditation of Indonesia and Indonesian products," explained Robby.

Batik products are included in the textile and textile products (TPT) group which has promising performance in Canada. In the January-June 2021 period, Indonesia's textile exports were recorded at USD 2.50 million, growing 78.17 percent compared to the same period the previous year which was recorded at USD 1.40 million.

The fashion show was divided into two sessions to implement social distancing restrictions according to the Covid-19 protocol and regulations in force in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. Participants who attended were the public and invited guests from the Province of British Columbia and its surroundings.

At the end of each session, there is a direct sale of Entin Gartini's collection of clothes to the performance participants. The total sales proceeds at this demonstration reached CAD 1,500 or equivalent to Rp. 16.5 million. In addition to making transactions and ordering during the event, the Consulate General and ITPC Vancouver also encourage promotion and marketing cooperation between designer Entin Gartini and the diaspora in Vancouver.

“This promotion program is a means for Indonesian creative economy actors to be able to work abroad. With the enthusiasm of Canadian fashion lovers who are quite high, we are optimistic that we can hold a similar event so that we can continue to work to introduce the diversity of Indonesian batik," said Robby.

Help Little Craftsmen

Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Vancouver, Hendra Halim, added that batik products are known as part of the creative economy products which are dominated by small craftsmen. designer Entin Gartini created batik designs written by artisans from the Bantul area, Yogyakarta and sewn by home industries around Jakarta.

“Through this activity, the ITPC and the Consulate General in Vancouver hope to help small craftsmen and home industries in developing their businesses, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, it can increase demand for the export market, especially Indonesian textile and fashion products to Canada," said Halim.

Halim said that Indonesia was ranked 7th as a supplier of textile products in the Canadian market after South Korea, China, the United States, Pakistan, India and Japan. This position must be maintained, one of which is by diversifying the types of export products. For example, for batik products, besides being able to be used in official events, batik from cotton can be used as daily clothing, especially in summer as well as beach clothes. So you only need to adjust the motifs and patterns so that batik can be used in the summer.

"In the future, the Consulate General and ITPC Vancouver will again facilitate promotional activities which are carried out thematically to develop other export products. For example, at this time, Entin Gartini's fashion products, which now focus on the use of batik materials, will be encouraged to use other raw materials, such as weaving so that Indonesian export products will be more varied and broad," concluded Hendra.