The wives of ambassadors from friendly countries promote batik and weaving in Islamabad by attending fashion shows. The exhibition of batik and weaving products was held in front of 50 invited guests consisting of wives of heads of foreign representatives, international organizations and leaders of Pakistan Foreign Office Women's Association (PFOWA) and Indonesian friends in Islamabad on Thursday (18/11). The event was organized by Dharma Wanita Persatuan (DWP) in collaboration with the Indonesian Embassy in Islamabad and the Indonesian Batik company, Alleira, according to a statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Islamabad received in Jakarta,

Thursday.

The head of the DWP of the Indonesian Embassy in Islamabad, Irina Adam, said that batik and weaving are cultural heritages that are gaining popularity in the fashion industry around the world.

Wastra (the art of textiles, batik and weaving) is also an ancestral heritage which is a cultural asset and has a vital social role in Indonesia because each sheet of wastra has its own uniqueness and story.

This promotional activity was carried out in line with the easing due to the Covid-19 pandemic by the Government of Pakistan.

The wives of the heads of foreign representatives were very enthusiastic about participating in the fashion show. Various kinds of exhibitions of batik and archipelago literature from various regions in Indonesia were also held and displayed to show the richness of the textile, batik and weaving of the archipelago.

Irina Adam hopes that this exhibition can inspire the invitees to learn about Indonesian batik and weaving patterns.

"We express our highest appreciation to the invitees, especially the wives of the ambassadors who participated and supported the fashion show," said the wife of the Indonesian Ambassador to Islamabad.

The event was attended by the guest of honor, Mehwish Sohail, President of PFOWA who is also the wife of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.

In his remarks, Sohai said he was very honored to be a part of this fashion show.

“The batik fashion show was very beautiful and we really enjoyed it. We were amazed to see the wives of the ambassadors appear as models and in my opinion batik is a very classy fabric. We also love Indonesian food which is amazing,” he said.

Kayna Shore welcomed the invitation to the fashion show and at the same time learned how to make batik and saw various types of Indonesian batik.

“Absolutely amazing fashion show. We saw our friends on the catwalk wearing very traditional and very modern clothes. Now I can't wait to find a boutique in Islamabad. After the fashion show we enjoyed some fantastic Indonesian food,” said the wife of the Australian Ambassador.

The fashion show, which was guided by the master ceremony, Dina Shahabudin, also received a standing ovation from the invitees. This is because the model models are the wives of ambassadors from friendly countries, including Zhanna Assanova from Kazakhstan, Irena (Czech), Reema (Bangladesh), Henriette (Netherlands), Pornrat Krachaiwong (Thailand) accompanied by senior models from Indonesia, Miyra Mathilda and Yanti Budi.

This event, which involved the wives of the ambassadors, was the first time it had been held, making the atmosphere of the fashion show exciting and lively.