PIMFW 2015: Alleira, Dhanst by Danny, ISIS

by Julius Kensan
21st September 2015
But really, you can’t please everyone. Show coverage and reviews of Alleira, Dhanst by Dhanny and ISIS from Plaza Indonesia Mens Fashion Week 2015.

Much has changed ever since technology allows fashion brands reaching out to wider audience in order to sell their products on social media. With about 10 millions population in Jakarta alone, it’s easy to see why local labels are tempted to make sure they leave an impression on as many of them as possible in order to boost their sales.

But really, you can’t please everyone.

Alleira sent out a collection that featured more than fifty looks, where most of them looked more or less the same. Obviously Alleira is trying to drill into our heads the fact that the label sells Batik, committed to Batik, and is all about Batik. Of course, most of us knew that already.

The collection was split into different groups – daywear, business wear, evening wear, et cetera. Only the business wear made a slightly deeper impression. Taking sleepwear as an inspiration, shirts and pants came in silk fabric with a heavy dose of Batik patterns that would remind one of a luxurious pyjama. Still, Alleira tried to avoid looking too casual by pairing the said wear with a navy quilted jacket. All in all, it suggested a more leisure way of doing business in the dog-eat-dog world. The rest of the collection just zipped by, lost in translation.

Enthusiasts of Dhanst by Dhanny are definitely the type who enjoy a good dose of attention should they decide to dress up. There are plenty of colours and silhouettes to catch one’s fancy here. To wit, a double-breasted jacket came in dark liver red while a drape-over-the-shoulders coat came forward in pastel powder matcha. Some of the suits featured looser silhouettes that were forgiving around the waist, but the rest were bizarrely tight to the point where even Jean Claude Van Damme could not execute a decent split in those pants.

Like Alleira, designer Dhanny tried to incorporate too many concepts in this collection. One moment you’d think the collection is about modern man in lean formal attire, next came models in tight, moody suits as if they’re dressed for a date with Count Dracula. The collection would have been more impactful and focused with a stricter edit.

It’s been a tough year for anyone who shared the same name with ISIS (The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), but ISIS (the local brand) latest collection helped the audience to, briefly, forget the unfortunate connection with the former.

ISIS’s “Goth Punk with a tendency for clean graphic lines” may seem outlandish for those who don’t get it. But that’s precisely the point. You don’t have to. It’s made for those who do get it. Creative directors, Andrea Risjad and Amot Syamsuri Muda mainly toyed with the tops, where black boxy shirts were applied with rectangular patches of bright colours and pockets were applied low at the hem of a t-shirt.

But the collection also strayed from focus when it sent out looks that appeared as if the Goth Punk no longer has a tendency for clean graphic lines. Though there’s nothing wrong about it, some looks like a long baggy pants under a long sleeve louche jacket felt out of place. While not necessarily polished, ISIS’s latest collection was definitely more solid and confident compared to their last. Even so, given the fact that Andrea and Amot have the ability to put out a well-built collection if they wanted to, perhaps it’s time for the duo to develop a long-term vision for ISIS instead of just jumping from one concept to the next.

Those who attended the show definitely know what they were in for. In the usual spirit of ISIS, a few actors and musicians grazed the runway with the company of a live music performance, performed, this time round, by Teza Sumendra. While it’s good news for some of the audience, it could be damaging for ISIS as the celebrities often overshadow the clothes. The latter should be the focal point or ISIS would run the risk of being known only as the brand which shows collections with live entertainment from local stars.

Still, at least, they weren’t trying try to please everyone.