With the arrival of payday at the end of the month, I always think about two things: paying off bills and finding new places to blow my hard-earned cash. I’ve been thinking about checking out a boutique that offers one-stop shopping with up to sixteen emerging designer labels under one roof.
Jakarta boutique, Fame 74, has risen from the ashes and rebranded itself as Fashion First. It remains a specialized boutique that offers customers the option of real personalization and styling with a personal sales assistant. Tucked in the corner of a South Jakarta neighborhood, the space is open and the staff warm and friendly, but more importantly, they are ready to cater to your every fashion need. When you book an appointment, you are treated to a sales assistant of your own to help you figure out what the right outfit for your occasion; so it’s a great place to drop by if, say, you need to pick out a dress for special occasion. But more than that, it’s a one-stop shop for sixteen established and rising Indonesian design talents, bringing familiar labels like Isis, Hian Tjen, Oscar Daniel, Swank, and much more.
L to R: Freiderich herman, Mel Ahyar Pret a Porter, Yosafat Dwi Kurniawan
Fashion First is home to a very impressive roster of labels, but here are three I enjoy plenty:
Freiderich Herman
Here’s a guy who has been on my wishlist since he first came on my radar! I’m a big fan structures, clean lines, and blazers, which is why houses like Raoul, Celine, and now Freiderich Herman hold very special places in my heart. This relatively new line was established in January 2012 by the eponymous designer, who won the 2011 Lomba Perancang Mode Femina. Born in East Java and graduating with a BFA in Fashion from the University of Huddersfield in 2011, he has come to master structured, straightforward blazers while injecting a strong dash of color or pattern where needed.
Mel Ahyar Pret a Porter
Mel was very recently initiated into IPMI (Council of Indonesian Fashion Designers) alongside Dany Satriadi and Yogie Pratama. We interviewed her following her set at the opening night of Fashion Nation earlier this year–so while these photographs are not of the clothes from her prêt-à-porter, there’s always a hint of elegance and playfulness to everything harvested from her imagination.
Yosafat Dwi Kurniawan
Another young local talent whose work was showcased at this year’s Audi Fashion Nation. I loved his use and ability to manipulate locally-sourced materials with a certain weightiness about it–like tweeds and leathers–into complete looks that are always polished and dramatic but never heavy. This is someone who clearly thinks about the philosophy and aesthetic behind his entire collections, going so far as to carefully curate the music selection that lulls the audience into thinking they are watching an art installation instead of a fashion show.
Fashion First is located at Jl. Cikajang No. 48 – Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan 12170. It opens Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00, and by appointment only on Sundays. Maybe I’ll see you there sometime? 