Jakarta, IO – Ayumi, the fashion brand from young fashion designer Marina Christyanti Ayumi, premiered at the New York Fashion Week (“NYFW”) Spring/ Summer Collections 2024 at The Gallery – Spring Studios, New York, 13 September 2023.
Inspired Collection
The 90’s bold and colorful pop music and style of her youth strongly affected Ayumi. They are her inspiration for the new look she wanted, when she decided to update the heritage songket cloth in her collection, “A Pop of Culture”.
The collection actually has two concepts: first, “A Pop of Color”, which brought back cheerful bold colors like fuchsia, lime green, purple, electric blue, cocoa, and nude brown. The second, “A Pop of Culture”, brought back the 90’s fashion, when Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez were in their heyday. Ayumi cleverly pops these elements into her pieces in anticipation of “pop” as next year’s fashion trend.
Ayumi also chose to cooperate with female artisans to support them in their work. She used their traditional fabric in a modern setting to highlight the richness of Indonesian heritage in our fashion industry. “I want to support women’s empowerment, because women are a primary consideration for me. Not only will they be wearing my work, but I want to acknowledge the ‘behind the scenes’ woman crafters, business owners – by involving them as my partners,” she said.
As the primary fabric in her set of 10, Ayumi used custom-made Minang songket cloth ordered from Pandai Sikek small artisanal enterprises in West Sumatra: the Pohon Pinang (“Betel Palm Tree”), Biji Bayam (“Spinach Seedling”), and Jalinan Lidi (“Woven Coconut Leaf Vein”) patterns. These patterns were woven in bright, strongly feminine colors using the characteristic gold and silver threads.
Ayumi used lace and satin silk to strengthen the sense of contemporary design that complements the songket, as well as beading using freshwater pearls. These are 5-14 mm in diameter, with varied shapes – round, oval, and baroque pearls. They are arranged in such a way that they become a special texture and pattern that enrich the songket in all the pieces.
The clothes themselves were accessorized with South Sea pearl necklaces and rings. They are showcased by Narce Jewelry, Vidia Charunnisa’s small business, in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
A Visually Rich Collection
Ayumi’s design construction showcases a provocative and sexy silhouette that remains elegant. Thanks to perfect sewing techniques and a minimal cutting of fabrics, the designs were all clean and neat. She further carefully placed each piece of freshwater pearl on the surface of her songket parts to dramatize the design, interpreting traditional heritage into a more modern and metropolitan style. These versatile pieces can be worn on any occasion – from informal gatherings to the most formal of official events.
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Mixed with satin silk and lace, the songket transformed into a slim, sexy knee-length fuchsia cocktail dress; an aristocratic purple ball gown; body-hugging corsets; a sheer, flowing light brown dress; a blouse with bright green ruffles; a one-piece dressed in feathers and beads; and a cropped jacket complementing high-waisted trousers.
Ayumi presented her designs in a contemporary new look, expressed in a series of clean, lovely ready-to-wear couture. The strength and charm point of her latest collection rests in her exploration of the use of songket fabric in creating corsets, which highlights the rich heritage of both Western and Eastern culture. (des)