Created to echo our experience of being in an art exhibition where a visit is incomplete without a quick browse in the merchandise store, “TANGAN is the art collection and TANGAN WHIM is the store that celebrates the art collection in simpler form”, shares the duo, Zico Halim and Margaretha Novianty. The result is a candid collection of upbeat prints, contrasting colours, and breezy fits. Taking a literal cue from its name, the pieces speak of a sudden change and impulsivity, an energy that grew into the brand’s most playful offering yet.
Although stripped of the familiar complex drape and construction usually found in their pieces, the designs incorporated patchwork, embroidery, and prints — touches signature to the brand. The collection is practical and features pieces to be worn on the daily, made possible through simplifying their aesthetic. “We wanted to create clothes that are approachable for everyday life, simple, no fuss,” Margaret shares. In a way, WHIM is the brand’s bridging step to accommodate present demands. Zico describes it as “inclusive, accessible, and effortless.”
It’s no surprise, then, that all the pieces come in one size, free from any markers of gender. The fit runs loose and relaxed, not sacrificing comfort, something we are not quite willing to let go of yet, if ever. You’ll find linen trousers with its pocket bag exposed and embroidered, a pastel blouse of patchwork fabric cuts, and sheer short-sleeved shirts; some with printed panels, others embroidered, and one in black with white topstitch finishings left to hang and a bucket hat to match.
After all, the collection was “created to show an explorative and fun side of TANGAN” and it did just that. With patchwork and embroidery as the name of the game, there is an air of naïveté, a spontaneous childlikeness. This optimistic tone comes into itself through bursts of colour and unrestricted lines of hand-drawn illustrations printed on the back of T-shirts and board shorts, where cut out shapes and bright colours appear mindlessly scribbled. When asked to pick a personal favourite, Margaretha goes for the blue long-sleeved shirt with drape detail. “You can wear it as outerwear for a more casual look or keep it as is,” she utters. While Zico picks the shirts as the staples he’d bring on holidays.
Almost as if proving its adaptability, the full collection is available exclusively at Tokopedia and the brand’s own website. This time around, they’ve also curated a hamper set, the very first from the brand; comprising a hand-cut artisan soap, soap dish, and a cotton handkerchief, just in time for Eid festivities.
The creation of WHIM is synonymous with the underlying message that TANGAN is here to stay: “It’s an affirmation of sorts, that we won’t stop. We’ll keep on going; creating and evolving with time.” As for the brand itself, its roots are firmly planted in its desire to continue to create and WHIM is their space to explore that, outside the constraints of just clothes.
