Cultural evolution on show at JakCloth 2012

Arya Harsono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Feature | Tue, July 10 2012, 1:43 PM
A- A A+

Paper Edition | Page: 27

Torn skinny jeans, old-fashioned glasses and band shirts; it looks like 1990s America has invaded Jakarta’s pop culture scene.

What older generations may consider degenerate, local “punks” have adopted in something that resembles the West in past decades. The culture consists of a certain atmosphere of hard rock, darkened denim, skateboards and vividly rebellious graphic T-shirts.

These elements permeated this year’s Jakarta Clothing Expo, called Summerfest, encompassing the pop culture of this generation.

The Jakarta Clothing Expo is an annual exhibition of independent retail, which includes a live display of up and coming musicians and trends, bringing together youth in a spectacle of shopping, fashion and entertainment.

Taking place at Parkir Timur Senayan, this year’s JakCloth Expo lasted four days, from July 5 to July 8, giving everyone the chance to observe the latest in the country’s pop culture.

Young Indonesians have recently become attracted to the independent clothing brands that originated in Bandung and which, over the years, migrated to the nation’s cultural center, Jakarta. Among them, the more popular stores include Premium Nation, Airplane System, PsychoGenic, Chizel, EasyBeats and Incubation. Iday, owner of Easy-Beats, said that the attraction stems from past Western influence. “Many [young Indonesians] buy these clothes because they are similar to that of the designer clothes from Western countries,” he says, “but cost less than they would in other stores.”

Independent clothing has changed the Indonesian clothing industry, and Summerfest has given these stores the opportunity to display their revolutionary impact on Indonesian pop culture. The designs themselves are, however, not necessarily innovative but rather what many would refer to as “avant-garde”. The more prominent pattern among the selection of clothes is its grunge-like style, and that most of the apparel appears somewhat brooding.

But the rise of independent clothing simply marks a development in Indonesian culture and is associated with the progression of the music scene. Despite radio broadcasting of American pop music, the genres that the kids are raging about today are colloquially known as punk rock, grunge and metal.

Though the main attractions were the cheap apparel at Summerfest, performances by several rock bands, both foreign and local, had many of the participants staying on.

Local artists were given the chance to promote their music, and shoppers were given constant live entertainment. Gracing the stages, US rock bands Rufio and As Blood Runs Black, Canadian band Silverstein, and Australia’s Dream on Dreamer were the highlights of the Summerfest entertainment.

Perhaps the most interesting portion of Summerfest was the inclusion of skateboard culture.

And it isn’t just regular Tony Hawk skateboarding either; fingerboarding has become a rising fad among Indonesian youth — the table tennis of tennis. In short, it is miniature skateboarding where the index and middle finger replace the legs. Although the skateboard rage did not provide the same excitement as an X-Games event, the handmade half-pipe that was placed in the middle of the exhibition not only gave local amateurs a chance to show off their skills in a skateboarding competition, but also allowed them to engage with an ever-growing skateboarding community.

Though its popularity was more prominent during the 90s and early 2000s in Western countries, it is incredible to see the amount of dedicated skaters here, demonstrating how both skateboarding and fingerboarding have emphasized the growing retro-chic fashion in Indonesia.

This year’s Jakarta Clothing Expo is evidence that Indonesia is not one of those countries that denies Western influence, but rather a nation of people that assimilates those cultures into their own.

It also revealed the remarkable youth community that has emerged, promising a colorful future for Indonesia and the generations to follow.