Industry Ministry focuses on making Indonesia world’s Muslim fashion center

TWO ARTICLES

President Joko Widodo gave a speech when opening the 2018 Indonesian Muslim Fashion Festival (Mufest) at the Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta, some time ago. (ANTARA PHOTO/Wahyu Putro A)

“We will establish the Muslim fashion business ecosystem and incubate several businesses. We will create a platform based on augmented reality and artificial intelligence,” Director General of Small and Medium Industries Gati Wibawaningsih stated at the Post Event Press Conference of La Mode Sur La Seine A Paris here, Friday.

The strategy for developing the Muslim fashion industry in 2019 includes coaching and certification for Muslim fashion tailors in the provinces of West and Central Java working in 150 Small and Medium Industries; providing training and sewing tools for entrepreneurs engaged in Muslim fashion; and organizing capacity-building programs for 150 existing Small and Medium Industries in West Java and Central Java.

In addition, the government will hold the Modest Fashion Project (MOFP) competition; link and match between designers and Muslim fashion industries as well as between textile industries and fashion industries, and designers; exhibitions in the country and abroad; International Muslim Fashion Festival; and implementation of the 4.0 Industrial Revolution for the Muslim fashion industry.

“Indonesia has a huge opportunity to become the world`s Muslim fashion center, as Indonesia is a country, with the largest Muslim population in the world, with domestic market opportunities reaching US$20 billion.

In addition, Indonesia controls 1.9 percent of the world`s fashion market, with an export value of $13.29 billion and is included in the top five of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as an exporter of Muslim fashion,” Wibawaningsih stated.

According to Wibawaningsih, this potential demonstrates that the global and domestic Muslim fashion markets are large and should be filled by Indonesian Muslim fashion industries to increase their contribution to the national gross domestic product.

Wibawaningsih pointed out that currently, the Muslim fashion industry in Indonesia is experiencing significant growth, with an average value of Indonesian fashion consumption at 18.2 percent per year.

Indonesians should also be proud of the fact that the country`s international performance has increased significantly in the past few years.

The State of Global Islamic Economy Report during the 2017-2018 period records Indonesia as the runner-up country that creates the best Muslim fashion after the United Arab Emirates.

“In comparison with the previous year`s report, Indonesia was not even included in the top 10. This shows that one step further, Indonesia can be in the first place and become the world`s Muslim fashion center,” Wibawaningsih stated.

She added that the largest Muslim fashion market is the OIC countries, reaching US$191 billion, while Indonesia, so far, only filled $366 million.

“That means we have to work hard to increase exports to OIC countries, so that at least we can control 30 percent of the market,” Wibawaningsih added.

Reporting by Sella Panduarsa Gareta
Editing by Libertina, Bustanuddin

ARTICLE TWO

Indonesian industry ministry promotes fashion products in France
One of Muslim dresses shown at “La Mode” Sur La Seine à Paris Fashion Shown on December 1, 2018 in Paris, France (ANTARA News/ Sella Panduarsa Gareta)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) – Industry Ministry`s Directorate General, Small and Medium Industries, supports driving fashion product exports by facilitating Indonesian Fashion Chamber designers at “La Mode” Sur La Seine aParis Fashion Show on Dec 1 in Paris, France.

“The target that we want to achieve from the launch of this program is to increase the export value of national fashion products, especially Muslim fashion, in the European market and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries,” Director General of Small and Medium Industries Gati Wibawaningsih stated here, Friday.

This event successfully echoed Muslim fashion by Indonesian designers and became a global spotlight, with 400 participants from several countries, including Italy, Australia, Germany, Taiwan, Korea, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Britain, and Russia.

At the event, the Indonesian Ministry of Industry also launched the International Muslim Fashion Festival. It is a Muslim fashion exhibition to be held in 2019 based on a business-to-business concept. The event is expected to be attended by some 250 guests.

The invitees are potential buyers from various countries, such as Italy, Australia, Germany, Taiwan, Korea, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Britain, and Russia.

The event will feature international conferences, fashion shows, and talk shows.

Wibawaningsih elaborated that the International Muslim Fashion Festival is aimed at increasing the export value of fashion products, especially Muslim fashion, in the European market and OIC countries.

“Our participation in the La Mode Sur La Seine ? Paris event is also an effort to introduce and promote the potential of Indonesia`s Muslim fashion industry to the world market,” Wibawaningsih stated.

The promotion targets the European fashion market that has various global fashion centers, such as in Paris, Milan, London, and other cities in Europe.

This effort is expected to realize the target of making Indonesia a global Muslim fashion center.

The government has, so far, been aggressively pushing the domestic fashion industry to continue to increase Indonesia`s market share in the international market.

The government also continues to spur the growth of the fashion industry by increasing the competence of human resources.

The long-term target in the development of the Muslim fashion industry is to make Indonesia the top three Muslim fashion exporters among the OIC countries.

In addition, the national fashion industry is expected to dominate the domestic market share, become a contributor to economic development, absorb a large labor force, and become the world`s Muslim fashion center.

Reporting by Sella Panduarsa Gareta, Libertina W Ambari
Editing by Andi Abdussalam