Government Holds Virtual Exhibition to Drive Up Muslim Fashion Exports

JAKARTA – Indonesia is currently the world’s third largest consumer of Muslim fashion goods after Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Currently, Muslim fashion consumption in Indonesia reached US$21 billion, while global Muslim fashion consumption is projected to reach US$402 billion in 2024.

This fact fosters confidence in the Indonesian government towards achieving their future target of Indonesia becoming one of the world’s Muslim fashion hubs by 2021.

To further drive the growth of the national Muslim fashion industry so that it can properly enter the international market, the Indonesian government is planning to hold several virtual Muslim fashion exhibitions, one of which is the Indonesia Industrial Muslim Exhibition (ii-Motion) exhibition, held by the Industry Ministry (Kemenperin) between 3 June and 5 June under the theme “Local is the New Global”.

“This exhibition will showcase the growth of the halal industry in Indonesia, particularly the fashion sector,” the Kemenperin’s director general for small, medium and miscellaneous industries (IKMA) Gati Wibawaningsih explained through a written statement on Tuesday (4/5).

Indonesia has the potential to become one of the world’s leading Muslim fashion players due to the diversity of its products, the large number of Muslim fashion communities in the country and the numerous Muslim fashion associations spread across the archipelago.

“The fashion industry has provided significant contribution towards the economy. The industry is also strongly tied to the textile industry. Based on our notes, both the textiles industry and the clothing industry were able to contribute 6.76% towards the non-energy sector’s economic share in 2020,” Gati said.

Various local Muslim fashion brands will participate and sell their goods at ii-Motion 2021, some of which are the creations of the winners of the Modest Fashion Project (MOFP) 2020 competition. The MOFP competition is a design and business concept competition held every year since 2018. The winners of this competition will receive the chance to win prizes that include business guidance from the Kemenperin.

“We implore all local Muslim designers to participate in ii-Motion 2021. This is a program initiated by the Kemenperin to gather both local and international halal industry producers,” Gati said.

One of the winners of the MOFP that will showcase their goods at ii-Motion 2021 is Putroh Ramadhan. As a designer, Putroh utilizes local weavings into outerwear, dresses, vests and pants. His products bear the tagline “Authentic Chic with Ethnic”.

Putroh explained that he derives his inspiration from the various traditional designs scattered across Indonesia. “I always implement a special technique in designing my products to the point where my work is distinctive,” Putroh explains.

Aside from Putroh, another MOFP winner is Allemong Arjun Putra, who is known for his outerwear, dress shirts and linen pants. Bellahasura, a Bandung-based Batik designer who is known for their patchwork and batik-corduroy fusions, will also participate in ii-Motion 2021.

According to Gati, Indonesian Muslim fashion products are growing in line with market trends and needs. Because of this, the government needs to hold large-scale exhibition events in order to showcase the myriad of designers and goods to the world. “Plus, doing so will help drive up our exports, which currently only contribute 3.8% to the global halal market,” she said.

ii-Motion will not only showcase goods, but will also hold a fashion show, hijab demos, cosmetics workshops, cooking workshops, barista showcases and many other webinars and talkshows under the themes of “The Growth of the Halal Industry in Indonesia”, “Syariah Financial Access” and “Tapping the Potential of Local Halal Food Products Through Innovation”.