Students of  Fashion Education Department and Fashion Diploma of 2011 of YSU held a fashion show entitled “Future Exchange, Transculture” as the fashion trend of 2014 on Friday (4/4/2014). Laila Noor Hikmah, the chairperson of the committee, explained that the theme was chosen to assimilate the cross-cultural elements, the western flavor in the frame of Indonesian culture.

Vice Rector I of YSU, Wardan Suyanto, Ed. D, in his speech, expressed that he felt a great sense of pride as the students offered the modern fashion ideas by adding the touch of Indonesian culture. “It is the action to enrich the world of fashion in Indonesia by upholding the ethnic and cultural diversity from Sabang to Merauke while following the world trends,” he said.

Besides, Noor Fittrihana, M. Eng., the Head of Hospitality and Fashion Education Department, Faculty of Enginnering of YSU highlighted students’ achivement in the world fashion competition in the previous year and the project collaboration with other countries, such as Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia. “The efforts are in line with the spirit of YSU on the move to World Class University and prove YSU commitment to improve the graduate competences in the global competition,” she said.

A total of 85 costumes were exhibited in the fashion show in the theme of Demotic, Cardiomind, Sagacity and Asylum following to the fashion trend of 2014. “The students designed the night dresses by adding the traditional elements, such as lurik (The Javanese fabric of tiny strip pattern), batik (a manual wax-resist dyeing cloth), ulos (the traditional cloth of the Batak people of North Sumatra characterized by white, black and red thread), and songket (the traditional Indonesian fabric with intricate patterns of gold or silver thread),” Laila explained.

The fashion show involved experts of fashion design to decide the winners in some categories. the Favorite Design goes to Kardina while The Best Design is awarded to Dwi Handayani.

Dwi Handayani designed the costume named “The Hidden Beauty of Asmat”. She explained that the local wisdom of Asmat is a misteriously hidden beauty as a result of a unique harmonization between the human’s culture and nature, the characteristic of the local people, their life style, and arts. “The simplicity and the essence of the tribal life are manifested in the Asmat pattern to admire and communicate with the ancestors,” Dwi Handayani explained.  (hryo/febi)