These days, people are increasingly living and evaluating their lives within the digital realm through the lens of their smartphones. We’re in an age where personal branding is remarkably intense and hordes of social media influencers are everywhere, both online and offline, vying for your attention (and likes).
In a way, Rinda Salmun’s collection for her eponymous label feels like they were designed for women who devote a great deal of time on her screen. The nautical inspired clothes, based on her travel to Cornwall in the United Kingdom, still convey Rinda’s knack for easy, breezy, feminine attitude. But don’t read too much into the theme. It’s really just a concept here and nothing more. Bright collage prints were also thrown in for good measure, all the better to get you under the spotlight, both online and offline.
Rinda didn’t offer anything new to the plate or equip you with a new perspective in regards to the subject of travelling. If there’s any consolation, you could at least consider these clothes should you receive an invitation for a party on a yacht.
Tities Sapoetra opened the show with six women, all presumably social media influencers, walking down the runway in such an excruciatingly slow pace under downcast music which got you thinking that perhaps the designer is feeling contemplative this time round. Of course, you’d be a fool to think that the actor-turned-fashion-designer Tities is going down that path.
Soon bass-thumping music blared and the runway was transformed into a club. Tities focused on tailoring for this collection. Although the latter still needs fine-tuning, it is nevertheless the right move; if Tities wants to be taken seriously as a fashion designer, he needs to show that he got the necessary skills to back that up.
Within the collection, cartoonish illustrations of girls were combined with sober flower prints. But they are lacking in finesse. The former lacks the irony, while the latter is just not sophisticated enough. Even so, one would wonder if the customers would really care anyway, because what draws them to the collection in the first place is certainly the amount of attention they would get while parading in those loud pieces.
Of course, there is nothing wrong in designing clothes with peacocking in mind. Fashion is a large ecosystem and within it exists different types of customers. But both Rinda and Tities failed to unveil anything about the women they are designing for. So, they love attention, but what else? Surely they have more depth than that. As a result, their collections felt superficial, barely scratching the surface. They just add on to the noise.
Remember that particular scene in Crazy Rich Asian when the groom, Colin Khoo and the protagonist Nick Young escape from the wild and over-the-top bachelor party on the cargo ship to somewhere quiet, just the two of them, and bond over meaningful conversations and cold beer? The same sentiment was felt during both shows and made you yearn to get away from all that pointless brouhaha too.
