Having been absent for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, LaSalle College finally held a graduation ceremony that was packaged in the form of a creative show to showcase the best work of its students. For fashion shows, a variety of traditional fabrics are excellent. Taking place in Senayan City, Friday (19/8/2022), this year's event carries the theme 'Sphere: An Orb of Immense Creativity' which reflects the spirit of working in the midst of limitations. "During the pandemic, we seem to want anything to be limited, but creativity knows no boundaries. We can continue to be creative," said Campus Director LaSalle College Jakarta Bonatua Napitu, in the middle of the event.
Departing from that passion for work, continued Bonatua, LaSalle College wants to be more intense in utilizing traditional textiles even though it cannot directly reach the fabric-producing areas due to the pandemic.
Wastra Nusantara also dominates the fashion collection created by LaSalle Collage graduates this year. "In previous years there was only one area, such as Dayak or NTT. Now for the first time we use cloth from various regions in one event. We must be able to adjust to the challenge," said Bonatua.
He said this was a manifestation of LaSalle College Indonesia's commitment as an educational institution to prepare the next generation to appreciate local wisdom and empower the potential around them.
According to Bonatua's observations, traditional fabrics are also charming outside Indonesia. Many students from other countries are interested in further exploring Indonesian materials. This is a sign of how big the potential of Nusantara's literature is.
Poppy Dharsono, designer and President Commissioner of PT. Indotex LaSalle College International, highlighted Indonesia's opportunity to lead the modest wear market. As the founder of the Association of Indonesian Fashion Designers and Entrepreneurs (APPMI), he sees Indonesia as very potential because it has been working on the fashion industry since 1993.
"When APPMI was founded in 1993, we started to promote modest wear because we saw the embryo. Many Muslim fashion designers were emerging at that time like Ida Royani," he said.
Poppy called the modest wear industry a market of 2 billion according to the number of Muslim population in the world. "The challenge is, this is a very large market. Every country with the largest Muslim population can work on it. It remains only for each to show its own uniqueness," he explained.
LaSalle will continue to renew its commitment to become a world-class educational institution and continue to contribute to efforts to advance Indonesia's creative industry.
Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, LaSalle began offering a hybrid learning method that opens up flexible learning opportunities outside of campus or regular time. LaSalle also carries out regular curriculum updates and developments according to the times, and the addition of a new study program, namely Cinematography.
Existing 25 years ago, LaSalle College Jakarta has various programs such as Fashion Design, Fashion Business, Interior Design, Artistic Makeup, Digital Media-Game Art Design and Photography.
