Vol. 2 No. 40 I August 30- September 5, 2015
Bazaar art Jakarta
back for lucky no. 7
in Search of 'Rijstaffel' and Finding an Oasis
beach invasion
color-block bikinis
batik, so chic Denny Wirawan has big plans for batik kudus
Editor's note
Check List
intangible tradition As a complement to our cover story centuries, unlike the statements we make on the fashion designer Denny Wirawan, when we opt for off-the-rack fashions. please take a look at our “Table of Friends” On makers, I spent some time this week article for this week, where we ask four at the Bollu gallery in Kemang, South designers in Jakarta about their enduring Jakarta, talking with its founder, Ruth love affairs with batik. Marbun. While everyone we spoke to was pleased The 30-year-old fashion-designerwith the textile’s surging popularity, there were some caveats. The first was to remember that traditions need to adapt to contemporary tastes. There’s no one way to celebrate batik. Each designer – and each person wearing batik – needs to find their own style. The designers also said that they respected the long tradition of men and women working to make batik. The statement resonated with me. Batik is more than a textile, it’s a cultural practice. When we wear batik, we support a philosophy 'Dalam Sebuah Titik' (mixed media), courtesy of the artist, Ruth Marbun of “making” that goes back for
turned-illustrator showed me her lovingly rendered and exquisite watercolors. One depicted the year 1998, when batik was named part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO (see photo). Ruth is also part of Xero-Fest 2, held in collaboration with the Bazaar Art Jakarta, which is back this week for its seventh iteration. As Design Indonesia’s Vivi Yip tells us in this issue’s ArtPLUS section, Bazaar Art Jakarta is presenting some of the nation's best works to growing and eager audiences. The bazaar closes on Sunday night. Spending the remains of the weekend seeing what local artists have to offer sounds good to me. Have a great day. Chris Razukas jplus@thejakartapost.com
05
The gang’s all here
12
Virtual vacation
JPlus Team
mark my words
Editor Christian Razukas Art Director Budhi Hartono
Mind Your Body BODIES ARE MACHINES, AND LIKE MACHINES THEY BREAK DOWN WORDS ANITA OTHMAN
A body is an amazing machine. It sends out signals when things are amiss. It warns us when we need to make changes to our lifestyles. It rarely shuts down without giving us feedback first. Yet how many of us are guilty of ignoring these biological taps on the wrist? We brush them away, push through our exhaustion and reach for the high-voltage energy drink or coffee – just like a junkie, hoping for a quick fix and that the pain will go away. “Too many patients tell me regretfully ‘I thought it would go away’," said my family doctor. Jenny, a relative of mine, can attest to this, having gone through a health scare. A successful career woman who just turned 40, Jenny was known among her peers as the “rainmaker.” But this came with sacrifices, constant travelling, working during the weekends and pulling an all-nighter if need be. It was only a matter of time before she found herself running on empty – she panted at the slightest exertion, couldn’t focus and had a short attention span. However, she ploughed through these signals and put them down to lack of sleep and a poor diet. Slowing down or resting
2
JPlus August 30, 2015
Marketing & Advertising Sales & Marketing Director Ady P. Pamungkas
ady.pamungkas@thejakartapost.com
Marketing Executive Dewi Damayani
dewi.damayani@thejakartapost.com
@JPlusSunday was beyond her comprehension. After all, her career was still progressing. Three years later during a presentation to a high-powered crowd, she stopped in mid-sentence and couldn't remember what she was supposed to say next. It was a rude wake up call and compelled her to seek medical help for what was diagnosed as severe anaemia. After hospitalization and 10 months of rest at home, she is on the road to recovery. A friend of mine – a stay-at-home mom in her mid-30s – has always prided herself for living a healthy life. With an active 7-year-old daughter, Lina is always on her feet. When she felt a small lump in her left breast, she thought nothing of it and said that she thought that “it would eventually go away.” Lina told me later that she didn’t think much of it, because she has always been healthy and regularly goes for mammograms. When it persisted, she made a mental note to see her doctor but soon forgot, as she was busy with a new start-up. It was only much later, when her family forced her to get treatment, that Lina discovered that she had cancer. In a world with multitasking, second-
screening (watching TV while surfing the net) and checking emails round the clock, it becomes even more important to pay attention to the needs of our body. This is not just for health. Sometimes we can be more productive if we heed the signals. Alex, an ex-colleague in his late 40s and self-professed workaholic, had been meaning to start on his book for a few years, but kept postponing it due to work pressures, writers’ block and general fatigue. His health was also deteriorating, as all these late nights meant that he was spending more time in fast-food joints than the gym. Fed-up with hearing of Alex’s excuses and constant moping about his career, his wife gave him an ultimatum: Take a 2-week holiday with the family or put an immediate stop to all the whining. Alex said that the break was not just what his wife wanted. It was what his body needed. All his weight gain, digestive discomfort and stress went away. He came back with a more balanced view of his life. “In the end, he said, “I realized it was more important to listen to my body than my boss.” Indeed!
JPlusSunday
SundayJplus jakplus.com
ON THE COVER Denny Wirawan Photo Arief Suhardiman Stylist Richard Theo Makeup Location Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta
table of FRIENDS
W
e often rely on relics and relief panels to trace the history of ancient philosophies and belief system. Sometimes we forget that traditional Indonesian textiles, known as wastra in Sanskrit, are similarly telling. Sporting variations in motifs, colors and materials; our magnificent handmade Indonesian textiles are based on philosophical and religious values handed down through generations. Among the most famous forms of Indonesian textiles is, of course, batik. Once on the brink of disappearing, traditional Indonesian textiles regained popularity in the 21st century – thanks in part to the work of local textile and fashion designer who have been looking in their own backyard for inspiration. This unique blend of old and new sets Indonesia apart in an increasingly uniform global fashion industry. On the forefront of this cultural mission are Iwet Ramadhan, Carmanita, Sapto Djojokartiko and Rama Dauhan. Each of these designers has a unique take on Indonesian textiles and modern fashion; some intricate, while others stunning in their pure simplicity. +Willy Wilson
@iwetramadhan [Batik] is something that I try to promote to the general public. There are still many people who don’t grasp why UNESCO designated Iwet batik as part of the world’s intangible cultural Ramadhan heritage. We should preserve it not as a piece of cloth, but because of its stories, philosophy and techniques – and for the people and cultural practices inherent in it. For now, the public’s love for batik is in an early stage – and is limited to wearing the fabric. It’s okay, because I see now more and more batik brands are concerned with the meaning of batik. This understanding will develop more quickly with the public if it is picked up by many people. I suppose it’s like dating your crush. You like them, but [initially] it’s just physical. Batik is an expression of my soul and feelings. Know it, understand it and love it and it will love you back. I always love batik from Sogan, especially the Semenan motif. These kain [textiles] tell a story and hold a philosophy that can be applied in life.
@saptodjojokartiko
I was born and raised in a cultural environment in Solo [Surakarta, Central Java], surrounded by tradition. It’s embedded in my memory; it shaped my taste as a designer. When I was little, I Sapto Djojokartiko watched people making batik, developing different varieties, dying and printing. It was an everyday thing. Batik is a big part of who I am [but] I’m too close to batik. I need modern packaging to offer the essence and philosophy of batik. I rarely use traditional batik in my collections because I want to translate its art into a modern context, with laser cutting, embroidery, etc. When I incorporate traditional Indonesian motifs in my collection, many people don’t realize that it’s batik. It’s philosophy should be maintained.
@ramadauhan I love all the textiles of the archipelago. Frankly speaking; as someone of Manado, Chinese and Dutch heritage, I didn’t grow up in an environment that was familiar with Indonesian textiles. I’m not really sure where my interest Rama comes from – but it’s clear that every time I go Dauhan to Yogya[karta], my favorite activity is sorting through batik. The interest of young urbanites in Jakarta when looking at traditional textiles is high. It’s our duty as designers to give the appropriate information about the history, meaning and philosophy of the textiles. I’m not afraid to enhance the character of Indonesian textiles and don’t work to hide their unique character with a modern presentation. I’m often asked to make bridal gowns with a mix of traditional and modern concepts. For traditional Javanese clothes, for example, I reduce the use of brocade and replace it with organza, which certainly gives a more modern impression.
@carmaku When you say “traditional”, I feel strange, since the word traditional automatically gives a sense [of something] old, weary or outdated. Indonesia has a [culture] crossing time and space – not only of batik, but for weaving, as in tenun or songket. There’s so much. Who is responsible for Carmanita preserving the “jewels” of Indonesian textiles? I guess the answer is “us” – those who have a passion for continuing our own heritage of textiles. I have my own little batik workshop. I was privileged, since my late grandmother, Ibu Sud, left to me her team of batik makers and dyers, all of who continue to work with me until this day. It’s easier for me to experiment at any time – and in any mood. For instance, in my designs, you can find a lot of patterns using Gujarati [motifs] or Japanese patterns or [those from] the Ottoman Empire applied in my batik. I find this quite intriguing and unusual. Don’t forget that batik is not just the motif or the color. Batik is a process of making textiles using wax with tools, such as a canting [wax pen] and a stamp.
@s_djojokartiko
AFP
JPlus August 30, 2015
3
talk of the town
TONE, US EMBASSY CELEBRATE mFISH
WELCOME TO THE LOFT Rukan Permata Senayan, South Jakarta Designers Franky Wongkar and Jeffrey Jeff recently opened The Loft, a retail space designed to become a home for their fréj brand of accessories. Launched on Aug. 21, The Loft is designed to mimic a gallery and is still interactive in ways inviting everyone to try out the store’s products firsthand. The opening of The Loft is a stepping-stone for fréj to launch fréj-à-porter, a ready-to-wear collection of women’s wear from Jeffrey. Products at The Loft range in price from Rp 50,000 to Rp 5 million. Other brands available include Heart in a Box, Camani and Electropuff. The Loft is located in Rukan Permata Senayan Blok B-16 at Patal Senayan in South Jakarta.
Pacific Place Mall, South Jakarta New York-based communications company Tone and US ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr. hosted an evening reception recently at the @america cultural center to celebrate the launch of the mFish initiative. As a collaboration with Indonesian telecommunications operator XL, mFish is a public-private partnership designed to empower fishermen in Lombok with mobile broadband services. It gives them access to critical trade-specific information such as weather conditions, locationsharing services and maps. All of this aims to improve the sustainability of small-scale and artisanal fisheries through educational content, guidelines and controls to reduce over-fishing. Plans are for mFish to reach 23,000 fishermen in 13 additional locations by the end of 2015.
Happy Salma's NEW Book CELEBRATES BALI's SILVER QUEEN Grand Indonesia, Central Jakarta Happy Salma recently held a launching ceremony for her new biography of Desak Nyoman Suarti, known as one of the pioneers of Bali’s silver industry. Happy launched the book along with the Titimangsa Foundation, which she founded. The Aug. 26 event was livened with a collaborative musical work, Putu Fajar Arcana, that featured Sruti Respati, Dewa Budjana, Heny Janawati, Desak Nyoman Suarti and Happy herself. During Suarti’s early years, women in Bali were not allowed to learn how to paint. Suarti, however, was so talented that she was able to get her paintings shown in Singapore. Today, Suarti’s silver works are often featured on home shopping networks in the US, the UK, Italy and China.
travel tips
advice for when you make your plans, pack your bag and go FRENCH BUILDING LUXURY HOTEL AT VERSAILLES
The Palace of Versailles, a worldrenowned historical landmark that housed the kings and queens of France up until the French Revolution, is planning to open up a luxury hotel. It would cost between US$4.44 million to $7.77 million to build the new hotel, which will be situated in three 1680s-era buildings, just outside the Versailles park’s gates, according to a call for a tender by the palace’s management. The money will be used to renovate the run-down buildings and to build a hotel, to be called Hotel de l’Orangerie, featuring 23 rooms with views of the former palace. According to Fortune, guests might be able to gaze out at the palace’s famous Orangerie, home to Louis XIV’s famous citrus trees, designed by baroquearchitecture master Jules HardouinMansart between 1684 and 1686. “There will be no other hotel in the world like this one,” a palace spokesperson told The Daily Telegraph.
4
JPlus August 30, 2015
PETS NOW CAN GO FIRST CLASS
American Airlines (AA) is paving the way for the future of flying first class with your pets, thanks to its new cabins, where owners can secure a carrier, with a pup or cat inside, for a more comfortable flight. While several other airlines have previously welcomed small pets on board their aircraft, typically those animals shared your legroom or had to be tucked away somewhere. With AA’s unique new service, pets can enjoy two cabins a plane in first class only. Each cabin can accommodate a single pet on select flights between New York and Los Angeles and between New York and San Francisco. The cabin, known as “Cuddle Class,” must be reserved when your ticket is booked and veterinarian clearance is needed, and first-class passengers must pay the standard US$125 carry-on pet fee. However, as Conde Nast Traveler notes, passengers won’t be able to bring snakes on a plane. Yet.
CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN in the real shangri-la
Travelers and mountain climbers in Yunnan can experience the city that inspired the fictional land of Shangri-La in a new way, after the opening of the Hylandia by Shangri-La earlier this month. Once known as Zhongdian, Shangri-La City was renamed 14 years ago, taking its new title from a fictional hidden place in James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon, The Nation reported. Shrouded in mist, the 166-room hotel is an ideal base to explore the beautiful Tibetan terrain and cultural landmarks. Guests are welcomed with buttermilk tea and mountain walnuts dipped in local organic honey in the Wisdom Room, a library where you enjoy a check-in by the hotel’s staff. The hotel’s architecture and design blends Yunnan and Tibetan styles, and features extensive use of local pine, limestone and other native organic materials. Three UNESCO World Heritage Sites lie nearby: the Tiger Leaping Gorge and the Meili and Haba Snow mountains.
CULTURAL CENTER TO OPEN IN CENTRAL SEOUL
South Korea recently announced that it would create multipurpose cultural centers in the capital designed to spur interest in the country’s traditional arts and culture and to promote the growth of Korean content. The plan to boost culture is in line with South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s policies that are aimed at strengthening the cultural industry to add value to the country’s growth. One of these new centers will be a hightech facility called the “K-Experience”. It will include venues for leisure activities that are expected to generate synergy with nearby cultural areas and commercial streets. The government will also renovate a gymnastics stadium into a K-pop concert hall with 15,000 seats to promote Korean music. “We seek to elevate Korea’s image and value through culture,” said Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jongdeok said at a press conference, as reported by The Korea Herald.
Reunited & IT Feels
so good A
bout 800 middle-aged men and women dressed in school uniforms recently assembled at the Gandhi Memorial School in Kemayoran, South Jakarta. Some were greying, some wore reading glasses and some still looked like high-school students, as they moved through the courtyard and assembled by placards stating their graduation years. Hand phones quickly came out and selfies were snapped as the alumni recognized their former classmates. They were told to assemble at the school’s basketball court, where a bunch of balloons were released. Then, the alumni – whose numbers included several CEOs, chairmen and directors – were given the student treatment and told to climb four flights of stairs to the auditorium. In a concession to advancing years, those with heart problems were allowed to take the elevator. After the Indonesian and Indian national anthems were sung, two alumni took to the stage. First, Ajay Mulani got laughs as he quoted Bennet Alfred Cerf, saying “Middle age is when your classmates are so gray and wrinkled and bald and fat, they don’t recognize you.” Dinesh Vaswani, the director of Kids Upfront, also got laughs as he reminded the alumni what romance was like in their teen years. “I remember those days when I wanted to ask a girl out on a date. I would get a reply like ‘Let me ask my mommy first!”. In the crowd was Shankar RS, who produced Rumah Pondok Indah and Terowongan Casablanca. He’s just one the school’s alumni currently working in the entertainment industry. “Going back to school today was like a complete rewind, wearing the uniforms and school shoes,” Shankar, the CEO of Starvision, said. “I remember my father dropping me off school and coming back to school at 1 p.m. sharp to pick up my siblings and me.” Shankar said he met his former teacher Sir Rajinder after many years. “My teacher recognized me and said I was one of his naughtiest students.” Another alumni-turned-producer at the reunion was Manoj Samtani from 13 Entertainment. “We were taught the value of teamwork in our school days, something that I have applied in my business up to this date. I learned how to interact with everyone no matter what their race.” Meanwhile, alumni Manoj Punjabi recalled getting suspended for a week
community corner
gandhi memorial school alumni recently convened for a reunion
for his in-school hijinks. “I was a very naughty teenager,” the current chief executive officer of MD Corp says. “I wasn’t disciplined at school – and of instead focusing on my studies, I spent most of my time pranking my classmates and teachers. He says most of his classmates would be surprised, if not shocked, to learn of his current success, despite his wild behavior. “Those days are over. I learned from the experience the importance of focus, dedication and hard work. My failure at school led to my determination to succeed later in life – and I knew what I needed to do.” Manoj Punjabi says that the school shaped his character. “I gained confidence and a sense of leadership through my years at Gandhi Memorial School, both of which have helped me tremendously […] Although everything looks different at the school today, what matters is that the qualities, roots and morals inculcated in me will always remain.” Selvamutu
WORDS & PHOTOS ARUNA HARJANI
Balakrishnan, currently of OREA software in Seattle, the US, expressed a similar sentiment. “It was emotional for me today at the reunion, because this was where I started before my manhood if you want to call it that. I felt connected.” Alumna Victoria Lao, former prefect and currently owner of Berkeley Investments Asia, was phlegmatic. “Gandhi has given me some life skills, like how to get along with people, surviving and trying to do well. It wasn’t perfect, but it did teach me a lot”. A bus purchased by the Gandhi Memorial School Foundation, which is spearheaded by Mahesh Lalmalani, was inaugurated at the reunion, according to committee member Kenny Nanik. “The bus is for social activities, like for visits to orphanages to hand out donations,” Kenny says. “The bus serves as a symbol of unity for the alumni of Gandhi Memorial School, no matter their race or religion.”
JPlus August 30, 2015
5
coverSTORY
a cut above
designer denny wirawan wants more than runway glamour WORDS Mariel Grazella PHOTOS Arief Suhardiman
O
ne would expect that a pool-side chat at the Hotel Indonesia Kempinski Jakarta with a noted designer would run along the lines of cuts, colors and patterns – and be sprinkled with mentions of society darlings who have worn the designer’s creations. Yet Denny Wirawan, whose label bears his moniker, wove a conversation using the tangled threads of his work as a fashion entrepreneur. “I’ve dreamed of this world since I was a child. When I was young, I was only able to get a glimpse at senior fashion designers who I adored and aspired to be like through the magazines of my mother,” he said. Denny, who originates from Surabaya, East Java, imagined life as a designer with his own boutique and an army of workers to help him. “Fulfilling my aspirations became an obsession, but I learned that there was so much more behind the glamour of the runway,” he said. Fashion is business “I’ve been in the business for 19 years, and therefore, have experienced my fair share of highs and lows,” he said.
6
JPlus August 30, 2015
“And I can say that the low points, especially in the ready-to-wear business, are during times of political and economic tumult,” he added. He added that during times of uncertainty, such as during last year’s presidential elections, people avoided visiting malls in fear of security threats. “The drop in mall visitors definitely disrupted the sales flow at my boutiques,” he further said. Denny, who established himself as a fashion entrepreneur in 1996, oversees three fashion lines, two of which are retail. According to Denny, retail lines are crucial, because their sales cover the major costs of running a label. “This includes the paychecks of my workers. Hence, in times like this, I cover costs through subsidies from my line of customized orders,” he said. However, Denny said that his toughest time was during the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis, when the rupiah took its first beating. “The crisis struck at a time when I was all filled with zest in running my fledgling business,” he said. He added that he panicked because the prices of raw materials skyrocketed and became unaffordable. However, Denny said that he had made commitments to produce a certain volume for a ready-to-wear
collection each month. “I had to find a way to survive because I was not some designer who parents were funding him. I started the business with my daring as capital,” he said, adding that he witnessed other designer labels crumble during those tough times. Prudence, it turned out, saved Denny’s label from early demise. Denny pointed out that he was in the habit of stocking up fabric during “normal” times. “I put stock aside until the mood strikes to work on them. When the crisis struck, I took out all this inventory to produce my collection,” he said. He added that to make every inch of fabric count, Denny switched his casual and office wear collection to evening wear. “I saw that people kept on holding parties no matter the condition, and that was why I changed my concept,” he noted. One stitch at a time Grit, not glitter, launched Denny’s journey to fashion stardom. With only enough money to sustain himself for a month, Denny moved from Surabaya to Jakarta in 1992 to pursue his dreams of being a fashion designer.
coverSTORY “I moved to Jakarta so that I could study at the Susan Budihardjo fashion school, whose fees were around Rp 1,750,000 at that time,” he says. “But due to limited finances, I had to find a job immediately." The then-22-year-old, whose formal education reached only high school, struggled to find work due to his limited networks. “I was starting to feel unsettled, because my money had started to run out when someone referred me to join Bianglala, which was Prajudi’s second line,” he said. The late Prajudi Admodirjo is one of Indonesia’s highly acclaimed fashion designers and was known for his sumptuous batik collection. Up to 1995, Denny served as the assistant designer for Prajudi’s Bianglala line. “I spent those four years extracting all the knowledge I could producing a readyto-wear collection,” he said. “One of the fundamental lessons I picked up was on production volume and the cost of a piece of fabric.” Denny added that while employed at Bianglala, he started opening himself to orders for clothes, which he made at his apartment in Pejaten, South Jakarta. “I’m the kind of person who can’t stay still. So I asked my mother to bring my sewing machine from back home to the city,” he said. “I then used part of my own salary to buy some fabric, and offered my designs to my friends." Word soon spread and Denny fulfilled private orders on the side. He added that
his principle was that “side jobs should not come at the expense of my fixed employment”. Denny made a decision to leave Bianglala in 1996 following the death of Prajudi, who had been his mentor. “Prajudi was very humble and kept a low profile, despite his big name. He never held back in sharing his knowledge with his workers, which was priceless to me,” he said. Moreover, Denny looked into his future and realized he did not desire to work under someone forever. So, he took another leap of faith and established his own label. “By then, I had already made connections with department stores and had made in-roads into magazines that featured my designs as part of the Bianglala collection. I had also won a fashion
off the cuff • My style is simple, and even rather conservative. • People expect fashion designers to dress extravagantly, but I don’t have the courage to wear outrageous styles. • I once tried to put on a bold pair of pants, but because I was so not confident about the way I looked, I had to go back home to change although I had arrived at the venue.
Being a fashion entrepreneur should not only be about making profits. It is more about assuming the responsibility of preserving our culture...
JPlus August 30, 2015
7
coverSTORY designer competition, which put my name on a map in the fashion circle,” he said. Fast forward to the present, where Denny says that his nearly two decades of experience has helped him to understand his consumer and market. “Fashion designers should not only rely on their design skills, but also their business intuition,” he said. The story behind BaliJava On the day of our interview, Denny Wirawan was in the midst of preparing a show for his BaliJava line, which features ethnic-inspired clothing. Denny is collaborating with the Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation for the collection and show. “I’d been thinking of relaunching the BaliJava brand and coincidentally, the Djarum Foundation was looking to create awareness around the lesser known Kudus-style batik,” he said, adding that the foundation had fostered Kudus' batik artisans for years. Given the obscurity of Kudus-style batik, Denny had to do his own homework. “The collection and show will be very cheerful with bursts of color,” he says, adding that the show will take up the theme of night markets, which are always full of life. For Denny, the BaliJava collection transcends fashion. “I’ve been heavily promoting Indonesian fabrics abroad, but I have not given the same attention to the local market,” he said. “Hence, this show is me paying what I owe to my country, because I am equally responsible for preserving the traditional values embedded in our
I have so many dreams, and I have no desire to retire. I will probably keep on creating until the day I close my eyes. traditional fabrics,” he said. He added that he hoped that Kudus-style batik would gain as much traction as other batik, such as that from Surakarta, Central Java. Its future fame will not only be good for cultural preservation, but also the economy of artisans. “Being a fashion entrepreneur should not only be about making profits. It is more about assuming the responsibility of preserving our culture and bringing economic value to the many artisans involved in the batik-making process,” he said. He added that one of the biggest challenge Indonesian traditional fabrics faced was the poor regeneration of artisans. He pointed out many artisans, such as tenun makers, were older women who worked in their spare time.
“Who else is to facilitate this regeneration effort if not us [designers]? I, as a designer based in the capital city, have the tools to promote traditional fabrics as well as help artisans enhance the quality of their products, which would in turn, increase demand from customers,” he said. Paradoxically, the creation of the show was tinged with dark shades of gray. Denny’s father died recently, and memories of the event still brought him to tears. “The heaviest test was the passing away of my father two weeks ago, which follows closely to the passing away of my mother a year ago. But I accept this all as God’s plan, for I have faith that His plans are never wrong,” Denny said. Despite the challenges he has surpassed, Denny said that the road in front of him still stretches far ahead. “I have so many dreams, and I have no desire to retire. I will probably keep on creating until the day I close my eyes,” he said.
striking a pose • Sophia Loren, the eternally beautiful Italian actress, is my muse. When I think designing retro looks, I would imagine how she, in her sultry elegance, would look in my creations. • I get my ideas from anywhere. Sometimes I’ll be reading a book when I find inspiration. When I’m stuck, I’ll go along and do my daily activities. After the day is done, I’ll have my quiet time during which I can think of designs. • Traveling recharges my mind, and is therefore, important for me. I travel extensively in Indonesia and abroad, especially to places thick with culture.
8
JPlus August 30, 2015
at your leisure
R
It was my grandfather who introduced me to the crowded street restaurants of Jl. Sabang, the lush buffets of Satoo – and who gave me a love of cuisine. He was also a veteran of the Independence War and fought against the Japanese and the Dutch. To mark my grandfather’s birthday on Aug. 13 – as well as the 70th observance of Independence Day - I recently visited one of his favorite establishments, the Oasis Heritage Restaurant, in Cikini. Oasis is said to be the only place in Jakarta where diners can experience a rijstaffel, one of the legendary elaborate feasts of Indonesian food concocted by the Dutch during the colonial period. I stood in front of the restaurant and remembered that it was once the home of a wealthy Dutch landlord and plantation owner. He spent a fortune to furnish the house with artisanal crafted flooring, paintings and statues imported from Italy. Much of the original decor survives until today. The inside of the restaurant was surreal. The Red-and-White stood above a round marble table with a large carved Airlangga statue guarding its back. The house had the traditional high ceilings of colonial Dutch architecture – and a wooden grand staircase that squeaked as you went up and down. Oasis also boasts a collection of antiques, such as wayang kulit leather puppets from Central Java, masks from Bali and Kalimantan, statues from East Nusa Tenggara and Papua and even paintings of the surrealist artist Hendra Gunawan. To the side is a veritable shrine dedicated to some of the world’s most important people who have dined at the restaurant, such as Bill Clinton, Angela Merkel, Margaret Thatcher and Phil Collins - among many, many others. Their photos adorn a special corner of the restaurant, reverently lit under warm lights. The manager escorted me to the restaurant’s grand dining room, the Sumatra Room, whose walls were covered in framed tapestries while a chandelier dangled above the ceiling. The dining ware was set on a deep
At the grand table A FOOD CRITIC GOES IN SEARCH OF 'RIJSTAFFEL' AND FINDS HERITAGE INSTEAD WORDS Kevindra Prianto Soemantri PHOTOS Courtesy Oasis JakartA
red velvet tablecloth, along with napkins in a ring of sculpted brass. As I was seated, the restaurant’s cultural liaison, James appeared. Clad in Batak dress, James, although slightly eccentric, delighted the diners with a welcoming speech and his elegant persona. As he concluded, traditional music played and bevy of beautiful ladies in kebaya blouses appeared, each holding one of the dishes to be served. At a traditional rijstaffel, more than 40 dishes could be served, with each guest typically getting eight to 12 portions. So I had high hopes. The meal began with two appetizers, classic spring rolls and a riff on asinan Betawi. The easily forgotten spring rolls were somewhere between crunchy and chewy,
with a seasoning that lacked a kick. However, deserving praise is the dish’s finely ground peanut sauce – thin yet loaded with layers of flavor, from spicy to slightly acidic to sweet. Meanwhile, the asinan reminded me of how I used to enjoy this fresh combination of vegetables in spicy-and-sour broth with cracker at my grandma’s house. The main course was served buffet style – something I typically avoid. My dreams of a grand service of rijstaffel, with dishes galore, were not fulfilled. Lost in thought, I recalled how my grandfather used to regale me with stories of the restaurant, which was then located near my grandmother’s clinic, until the arrival of kecombrang - as in grilled chicken with kecombrang - broke my reverie. The super fragrant torch ginger flowers
– which comprise the main ingredient of Batak arsik – are one of my favorite spices, and can add a touch to any Indonesian dish, whether sour, spicy or fresh dishes. The torch ginger was presented as a salsa similar to Balinese sambal matah in form. I didn’t instantly dig in, since one plate/one dish is not how we do things here. I added some sate lilit with sambal matah and grilled leg of lamb. After guests saluted each other with “selamat makan” (bon appétit), I tasted the torch ginger salsa – and was disappointed. Was it how the dish was prepared or the quality of the ginger? It had too-mild a taste for Indonesians, who have palettes that need a full kick of spices. The grilled chicken, however, was tender and flavorful, with a robust aroma that could be sensed before taking a single bite. The chicken was naturally sweet and, with the help of ground spices, the embodiment of delight was born. Also delicious was the lamb, which was grilled until slightly charred. My taste buds can still savor the peppery-minty flavor of coriander and turmeric, and the meat was soft as butter, spoonable and tender. Delighting in how the lamb was bathed in kecap manis, raw shallots and raw bird-eye chillis; I gazed on a stained glass window of Erasmus Rotterdam and was puzzled. How could a wondrous place like Oasis, with a collection of Indonesian antiques worthy of a museum, leave local diners complaining about the food served? I npw understood why: The traditional recipes seem better adapted to the majority of the restaurant’s clientele, who appeared to be Japanese or Dutch. Thanking the host, I walked through the maroon curtain to the chessboard-pattern flooring and thought of how deeply I fell in love with this establishment, despite an average meal. But isn’t that what a love/hate relationship is all about? Oasis Heritage Restaurant Jl. Raden Saleh , No.47 Central Jakarta 10330 oasisjakarta.com
JPlus August 30, 2015
9
NEWS FOR YOU THIS IS NOT STREET ART! The next modern art destination
CURATING THE INTENSE WORDS Mariel Grazella PHOTOS Courtesy Jakarta Art Bazaar
Bazaar Art Jakarta 2015, back for its seventh run, is showcasing some of the best artwork from Indonesia – as well as South Korea, with who the Indonesian Association of Galleries (AGSI) is partnering with to hold its “Mall Art” exhibition. The bazaar, which ends on Aug. 30 at the Ritz Carlton Ballroom Pacific Place, features works from celebrated artists Edwin Rahardjo, Ichwan Noor, and Septian Hariyoga. JPlus spoke with Vivi Yip of Vivi Yip Art Room, who curated the exhibition, about the art scene in Jakarta.
What’s the outlook for Indonesian art market given the current economic situation?
I am confident that Indonesia will survive the current global economic turmoil. We’ve passed through one of the worst times in our economic and political history, which was the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis. I was then still with Sotheby’s auction house and I witnessed how the best artwork left Southeast Asia. Yet, contemporary art received a chance to flourish then, and once our economy improved, collectors bought back most of the artwork, both modern and contemporary. I cannot predict the future, but I chose to be hopeful. Corrections are healthy, as they slow down that which is hurtling too fast and is therefore at risk of crashing.
What are the trends for 2016? The trends will be abstract, latest in media technology, simple art that reaches back to traditional roots and craftsmanship. People are always changing, but we do need to slow down and get back in touch with ourselves and nature after technology has enabled speed
10
JPlus August 30, 2015
and an instant approach.
Any artists to watch?
Muhammad Taufig, or EmTe, is an illustrator with very powerful drawing and coloring skills, which he infuses with his contemporary lifestyle. He has gained tons of followers, who flock to his exhibitions.
What are the current challenges in curating art from Jakarta?
There are too many great artworks made by great artists to choose from. It’s heartbreaking and a challenge to have to choose a few of those intense artworks. Visit artjakarta.com for more information.
Kemang, South Jakarta Four artists from Europe and Asia are currently exhibiting their works in one exhibition to demonstrate their different work ethics and styles. The four share the same idealism to voice their opinions through a symbolic language that provides a whole new sense of creative expression. Jakarta-based Darbotz is known as a graffiti artist who never shows his face, while Jange Rae from Bandung is a self-taught artist whose works are influenced by factors like the country’s condition, economy and religion. Meanwhile, Eddie Hara and Matthias Willi are Switzerlandbased artists. Hara uses bright colors and intense humor and always has a cheerful mood to his arts, while Willi is known for his photography. The exhibit is set to run until Sept. 10 at dia.lo.gue. artspace on Jl. Kemang Selatan 99a in South Jakarta.
MASTERS OF MODERN RI PORTRAITURE National Portrait Gallery; Canberra, Australia The National Gallery of Indonesia (GNI) is set to send works to an exhibition featuring some of the country’s greatest works of artistic portraiture at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, Australia. The initiative, which runs from Sept. 20 to Oct. 15, shows off 25 significant Indonesian artworks that offer significant insight into the archipelago’s rich portrait practices. It showcases key modernist works made between the 1930s and the 1980s drawn straight from GNI’s collection, alongside a selection of more contemporary works. Featured are the works of masters such as S. Sudjojono, Hendra Gunawan and Affandi. The importance of the Indonesian-Australian partnership was recently highlighted when GNI received a 2015 ICOM Australia Award on Aug. 24 in Jakarta for this bilateral effort.
Profile
bathtub medium Wayan upadana redefines bali's traditions through art WORDS DESIHA TAMAR PHOTOS Deisha Tamar, courtesy Wayan Upadana
Wayan Upadana is a native Balinese from Blahbatu in Gianyar. The emerging artist has been constantly creating unique pieces mixing several media. “I enjoy creating contemporary pieces that don’t restrict me to one medium. A lot of my acquaintances and friends also question whether I’m a painter or a sculptor, but I think I’m just both – and even more,” Wayan says. “Sometimes I have ideas or inspirations that require different media. Back in my university years, I also studied performance art, because there are
messages that I wanted to convey that could not be delivered through paintings,” he adds. The graduate of ISI Yogyakarta, born into a family of artists, studied art at a vocational high school. His wife is a sand painter. In March, he came back from a onemonth artist's residency in Fremantle Arts Center in Western Australia after exhibiting his work at the "Bali: Return Economy" exhibition in 2014. One creation inspired by his residency and recently displayed at the Sudakara Art Space was a video of the ocean on a flat horizontal screen, presented with a small resin sculpture of Bali's Mount Agung sitting on top of the screen. He says the idea was conceived after he saw the "captivating energy" of the ocean in New South Wales. Both ocean and mountain are important parts of Balinese life. Another of Wayan's pieces is on display at the Arma Museum. It is a sculpture of Rangda – believed to be an evil spirit in Bali – in a bathtub covered
chocolate. “This piece is a representing how Bali is merging with the world. Traditions can still survive, despite global influences and the tourism boom. There’s also been a shift in the Balinese way of life because of globalization. But the Balinese are just comfortable with the shift, just like how Rangda is positioned in the tub,” explains Wayan. It only make sense that Wayan includes Balinese values in his work. He says what we usually think of as traditional value are actually universally applicable. “Take the example of 'Western values' or 'way of life'. It’s actually also a tradition and culture, but somehow they managed to make it global and acceptable worldwide. So I’m trying to push the notion that we can’t globalize our own traditions or culture,” he says. “I’m also trying to redefine the meaning of rituals here in Bali through my art, because sometimes I have people who think I’m debasing the sacred Balinese ritual or traditions. I’m simply trying to make those rituals more approachable to the people’s everyday life.” Wayan says that the contemporary
art scene is gradually taking off in Bali, although it might take a while to get the same recognition booked by artists in Bandung, West Java, or Yogyakarta. When asked what makes his work unique, he admits that he loves to keep the audience surprised. “I want the people to be connected with my work by giving them surprises, so I can always keep them at their toes and wonder what my next work will be." Wayan, who said he admires the controversial and beleaguered Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, has dreams that he, too, might someday exhibit his work in Italy. The father of two admits that is not all glamorous being an artist, especially when it’s also a person's main occupation He remains optimistic. “Art is what keeping me alive," Wayan says. "How I can keep myself alive through art is perhaps the more important question."
55 shades of grey
WORDS Prasiddha Gustanto Photo courtesy fanny octavianus, antara/prasetyo utomo
Earlier this year, Jakarta celebrated its 488th birthday. Its history tells the tales of countless people who have experienced life in the nation’s capital, in all of its messy realities. For some outsiders, the city is often seen as a place of hope, where people come and try their luck at finding a better life for themselves. Others view it as a blind, soulless metropolis that alienates its denizens more than it welcomes them. Photojournalist Fanny Octavianus’ recently-released book, JKT, captures
Jakarta in all of its shades of gray. It contains 55 blackand-white photographs taken between 2006 and 2015 that tell of the ins and outs of the city’s buildings, its floods, its slums and its citizens. “One of my goals in making this book is to make a documentary record about the capital and to encapsulate my experiences as a visitor to Jakarta, through the spirit of sharing my visually-recorded opinion as a photojournalist,” said Fanny, who hails from Purbalingga, Central Java. In Fanny’s view, the residents of Jakarta are smart. “They understand everything. The problem is that they tend to unduly compromise for the sake of the individual instead of for the good of the city in which they live.” This sense of selfishness is distant to Fanny, who believes in balancing opposing needs as a guiding point in his work. “Photojournalism is a medium
of communication that is very challenging because of the demands of objectivity, while I have to ‘play’ with what people who later see my photos would think, from a subjective standpoint,” Fanny said. When it comes to his craft, Fanny particularly enjoys surprises. “What I most enjoy on the streets is when I shoot something and I feel the lack of a visual element in my photo, but a sense of belief makes me wait for the presence of a visual element. And it arrives.” If I were a color…I'd be gray. As a child, I was…quiet. My hidden talent …gemstone craftsman? People will be surprised to know that …I love Korean girlbands? My life in a movie…Siddhartha. If I was not a photographer … Manchester United’s captain. I can’t stand…to live without coffee. and cigarettes. My deepest fear…to find out there are no aliens outside our solar system.
When I am bored… I playFIFA14 on PS3. Two people I want to have coffee with … Siddhartha and Jesus. Guilty pleasure …talking to cats. Movie or books…movie. Cat or dog...cat I want to photograph...aliens. My biggest accomplishment so far… making the book JKT. If I was not an artist…I’d be an inventor. What makes me laugh…animals. What makes me cry…humans.
JPlus August 30, 2015 11
wanderLust
Oculus & Cardboard
Are Going to Rock the Travel Industry AS ADVERTISERS JUMP ON VR, IT MAY JUST BE A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE YOU CAN RACK UP AIR MILES, VIRTUALLY WORDS Jennifer Parker IMAGES Via Bloomberg
M
y feet are planted firmly beneath me, but somehow I’m stepping into and through a map on the wall, when a blast of warm air ruffles my blouse. Now I’m on a sandy beach in Hawaii. A spray of clean ocean air mists my face. But before I can reach out and touch the fanned leaves of a sun-kissed palm tree, the ground beneath my feet shakes, and I’ve been sucked through a wormhole. Seconds later, I find myself in the swank lobby bar of a Marriott hotel. Marriott calls this a “4-D” experience, and its one of the latest innovations in virtual reality. This experience is part of the hotel chain’s “Travel Brilliantly” campaign. You feel as if you’re in a movie playing 360-degrees around you, all above you, underneath your feet. It very well might be the future of travel.
12
JPlus August 30, 2015
The Extra Dimension Relevent’s founder and chief executive officer, Tony Berger, is amped up on the prospects of VR. His “experiential marketing” firm was hired by Marriott to help create the Teleporter. “The secret sauce,” he says, “is in 4D, because being on a vacation affects more than just your eyes and ears.” So when you step onto the beach you smell the salty air (via a synced scent release), or when you tunnel through a wormhole you feel the ground shake (via motion signals and a rumbling platform). Relegated to geeky fantasy for years, VR hardware is suddenly cheap, portable, and there for the travelbrand taking. For his next off-the-record project for Marriott, he’ll be using US$199 off-the-shelf Gear VR headsets by Samsung to view a Galaxy 6 or Galaxy
WanderLust Note 4 smartphone running Oculus software.
software consultant for Virtalis. “You can now see borehole data and get all kinds of information on oil and precious metals you didn’t have before.” “We’re capturing entire countries’ worth of data,” adds Ewing, citing Virtalis’s recent work in the U.K. “Want to visit Stonehenge? ‘Land’ on the ground with this tech and have a look at the stones around you.” For those who cannot travel for whatever reason (budget, disability, or simply lack of time), strapping on a headset could put the top of Mt. Everest or the floor of the Grand Canyon as close as your couch. Which begs the ultimate question: Could a VR experience eventually become so “real” that it will replace actual trips? “Nothing can replace actually going to a destination, experiencing it yourself, and sharing your experiences
Content Creation Travel companies such as Thomas Cook, Qantas Airways, and Destination BC in Canada are also creating their own promotional VR videos. And they say this is just the beginning. “We see virtual reality as an innovation that will change the travel business,” says Marco Ryan, chief digital officer for Thomas Cook Group, a UK-based tour operator that began testing VR content last year to boost sales. “The closer you get to the destination, the more excited you are to have that experience”—i.e., buy that experience. Increased Revenue Currently, in 10 select Thomas Cook store locations in the UK, Germany, and Belgium, you can strap on a Gear VR headset and try your tour before you buy: Walk through the billowing blue curtains of a Santorini hotel balcony, ride a helicopter above Manhattan’s skyline. Together with a VR company called Visualise, Thomas Cook has begun gathering “excursion” videos. They’re filmed with a 360-degree, specially designed rig of GoPro cameras, which the company made itself before Google unveiled its commercial version of a similar 16-camera rig called Jump at last month’s I/O conference. Last week, Thomas Cook went to Egypt to film the pyramids, six different hotel properties, and live-action biking on sand dunes. Next week, these videos will be ready for 3D travel marketing. By August, Thomas Cook will be mass mailing 5,000 brochures, equipped with inexpensive (about $24 a pop) Cardboard headsets—both the name and the material. Using specs from Google, these open-source units will let targeted customers use their own smartphones to power custom-branded VR experiences via a downloadable app. While the content race continues, Google is attempting to make creating VR as accessible as consuming it. Jump is a do-it-yourself VR platform that means you don’t have to invest millions of dollars in a Peter Jackson-worthy camera setup. “We want this to be for everyone,” says Mike Jazayeri, product director for Google Cardboard. “But for travel companies in particular, Jump provides a very natural way to take video of the environments you’d want to visit.”
Professional Setups Creating cinematic-quality VR— especially in 4D—remains the purview of such major players as Facebook’s Oculus, SFX heavyweight Framestore, and VR producers such as Jaunt, in which Google Ventures has already invested. “Most videos are 30 frames a second. For cinematic VR, you want at least 60 frames a second to reduce latency. Teams of engineers are working to make that content compatible on all mobile platforms,” says Jaunt CEO Jens Christensen, who recently traversed Australia shooting film for Qantas Airlines. First-class passengers can strap on a Samsung Gear VR and watch Jaunt’s videos of Sydney’s Harbor Bridge or take a boat ride in Kakadu National Park, before ever landing down under. Basically it’s an enhanced version of the ubiquitous in-flight edutainment vids available to everyone—but with more fun novelty and biz-plus bragging rights beyond the free champagne and caviar. Futurist Fancy But if you’re Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe, the future is bullish. “We’re finally able to teleport to new worlds. We can experience the magic of presence—the feeling of actually being there,” he said during a June
11 press conference. By 2020, tech advisor Digi-Capital projects the VR and augmented reality markets to reach $150 billion. With a $2 trillion global tourism industry at stake, growth potential is huge—especially if somebody were to crack past by simply selling and augmenting trips. Right now, only Rift’s developer kits are available, but by 2016 it will be a different story. Oculus commercial headsets will hit the market along with such competitors as HTC’s Vive and Sony’s Morpheus. Microsoft’s partnership with Oculus adds to its own efforts, which include HoloLens, an augmented-reality headset. Future Potential VR firm Virtalis is extending that notion to include visiting places you could never go in person. With a focus on engineering, rather than on video games or commercials, it creates VR videos meant to inform architects and urban planners. “We use Oculus Rift and geographic information to go underground and look at mines or drilling sites,” says Paul Ewing,
with others,” says Michael Dail, vice president for marketing at Marriott Hotels. But as money drives innovation—and it’s sales and marketing that are driving VR in the travel industry now—who’s to say that the (virtual) future won’t be passport free?
JPlus August 30, 2015 13
a la mode
What's a chronometer?
Bremont MBIII
The British brand might not be subject to the Swiss chronometer regulations, but almost every watch in its lineup is COSCcertified. The MBIII is an evolution of Bremont’s signature watch, inspired by a famous fighterjet ejection seat. It adds a second time zone hand to the mix, while still being easy to read—and nearly indestructible. $6,395
AND WHICH ONE SHOULD YOU BUY?
WORDS Stephen Pulvirent IMAGES VIA BLOOMBERG
The watch world is full of jargon that’s tough to understand. Chronometer might sound like a mouthful, but it’s just a fancy word for “really, really precise watch.” The word chronometer goes back to the early eighteenth century, when an English clockmaker called Jeremy Thacker invented a vacuum-sealed clock. Without air resistance, it was extremely accurate; Thacker dubbed his creation a chronometer. The name was later used a few decades later to describe marine chronometers— clocks suspended in gyroscopic boxes that helped ships determine longitude and traverse the world’s oceans. Today you can wear their precision-crazed successors on your wrist. As with most things in the Swiss watch industry, the term “chronometer” is closely guarded. A watch must pass through the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) in order to carry the term on its dial. The COSC, a testing institute, subjects a watch’s movement to a multiday examination that places it in five
different orientations and three different temperatures to gauge its precision amid varied conditions. The final result must be a daily variation no more than -4 or +6 seconds per day for a mechanical movement. Only 3 percent of watches produced in Switzerland make their way through COSC’s certification. A lot of factors can contribute to a watch making it, but two qualities must be present for a watchmaker’s work to qualify as a chronometer: good materials and high quality control. Better metal alloys and such materials as silicium are less susceptible to expanding and contracting when the temperature changes. Nor are they as easily degraded by friction. When you’re relying on a steadily beating spring and some gears to keep time, this is paramount. And even if you have the best raw components, they need to be assembled properly to function at their peak. Whether you’re new to chronometers or have a collection of always-on-time watches, here are a few to look out for.
On the beach TRIANGL SWIMSUITS ARE SELLING LIKE CRAZY—HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED WORDS Kim Bhasin IMAGES VIA BLOOMBERG
14
JPlus August 30, 2015
Omega Globemaster
Tissot Le Locle
You don’t have to spend a small fortune to get something mechanically reliable. Tissot makes a few chronometers with three-figure price tags, but you should spend just a little more to spring for the Le Locle. It’s soupedup automatic movement won a national chronometer competition, beating out watches that cost more than 10 times as much. US$1,295
Vibrant, color-saturated bikinis are popping up on beaches everywhere. The perpetrator: a budding swimsuit company with Australian roots called Triangl. Triangl’s neoprene swimwear comes in a dozen designs, each with a selection of vivid hues. Popular styles include the Milly, a blazing neon two-piece for the particularly un-shy. Some have crocheted sections mixed in. Tops come in various forms: balconettes, triangles, and zip bandeaus. The bold aesthetic has caught on. Triangl expects to haul in US$60 million in sales this year, more than twice as much as the $25 million in bikinis it sold in 2014. The brand’s been profitable ever since it was launched in 2012, says its co-founder, Craig Ellis. “I had no idea it was going to be such a big year,” Ellis says. The brand was born of the founders’ personal frustration with what they saw as a lack of fashionable swimsuits. Ellis, 40, and his co-founder (and fiancee) Erin Deering, were headed to a beach in Melbourne in 2011, and Deering was poking around for a new suit to wear. Most she found were from a traditional surf brand, such as Quiksilver or Billabong. She’d have to dish out $300 or more for more fashion-conscious swimwear from a high-end label. Why couldn’t you find something similar for less than $100? The next year the couple, who had been working in e-commerce and design, sold all their belongings to move to Hong Kong and start a swimwear label. At first, the goal was to sell one bikini a day, enough to subsist in their little apartment. This year, they’re on track to sell more than a million.
Omega’s upping the ante with the Globemaster, introducing an even more stringent grade of certification, the Master Chronometer. Not only does this watch go through the usual temperature and movement tests, but it is tested in strong magnetic fields— something that’s increasingly practical because everything, from your cell phone to your refrigerator, contains magnets these days. Way to ruin it for everyone else, Omega. From $7,700
Ellis and Deering turned to Instagram and quickly found their groove. Their photos are a mix of sultry models in alluring poses and shots of paradisal beaches or pools. The account boasts nearly 3 million followers. Ellis says the company’s big break came in 2013, when model and reality TV star Kendall Jenner appeared on Instagram wearing a Triangl suit. While Triangl says it never pays celebrities, it made sure Jenner knew the brand existed by sending some suits to people in her social circle, Ellis says. Celebrities have proven quite a boon, with such pop stars as Miley Cyrus and Ellie Goulding blasting out photos of themselves in Triangl bikinis. Beyoncé wore a Triangl top in a music video. Now Triangl is battling a flood of knockoffs, with many emerging from such marketplaces as Alibaba. The duplicates keep Ellis awake some nights. Recently, while on a trip to Saint-Tropez, in France, he spotted a small store selling nearly exact copies of Triangl designs. “It’s really frustrating,” Ellis says of his inability to stop copycats. “The biggest labels in the world with the best lawyers can’t even do it. Even Louis Vuitton deals with it all the time.” The official bikinis aren’t available in stores, as Triangl does no wholesaling—all sales are done through its website. The company also never discounts its suits, which cost between $79 and $99, depending on the style. It’s a conscious effort to maintain its image as the purveyor of a luxury item that’s still pretty affordable.
tasteBUD
Eggplant Parmesan WORDS & PHOTOS Theodora Hurustiati
A
long with lasagna, Eggplant Parmesan is one of the classic dishes that Italian mothers make for Sunday lunches, especially in the Southern part of Italy. The eggplants are usually salted to draw out their bitter juice, then rinsed with water, pat dried and finally fried in olive oil before being assembled. It’s labor intensive – and high in calories– to prepare this delicacy following traditional methods. I don’t mind a slight bitterness, so I usually skip the salting step and grill the eggplants instead to make the dish lighter. Eggplant Parmesan is usually baked in a large casserole dish and divided into portions at the table. Assembling in small individual ramekins halves the cooking time and makes it easier and prettier to serve at dinner parties.
Serves 3-4
Fresh tomato sauce 1 kg ripe tomatoes 1 clove of garlic 10-20 basil leaves A pinch of sugar Extra virgin olive oil Salt
Eggplant parmesan 800 g eggplants 500 g tomato sauce 400 g mozzarella cheese 100 g Parmesan cheese, grated Basil leaves Extra virgin olive oil Salt
Create a cross on top of each tomato. Blanch for 30 seconds in boiling water. Scoop them out and quickly insert in icy water. Peel the skin off, divide them into quarters, remove the seeds and cut into, roughly, 5-mm pieces. Peel and crush garlic. Fry in a pan with a touch of oil over low heat until fragrant and slightly golden. Remove garlic and pour in the diced tomato. Add salt, a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity and basil leaves; previously torn into small pieces by hand. Simmer over a medium heat for about 30 minutes until it reduces and thickens. It should make around 500 grams of sauce needed for the Eggplant Parmesan.
Slice mozzarella cheese into thin discs and grate the Parmesan cheese. Slice eggplants into 5-mm thin rounds. Season with salt and grill, on both sides, over a non-stick griddle pan. Keep the heat on medium-high and cook until tender. It usually takes 4 to 5 minutes. Lightly oil the individual ovenproof ceramic ramekins. Cover each bottom with a slice of eggplant. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce and top with 2-3 slices of mozzarella and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan. Cover with other slices of eggplant and repeat the process to obtain two or
three layers in each ramekin, depending on its height. The last one should be that of tomato sauce and the cheeses. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and drizzle with a touch of olive oil. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes at 160°C until the cheeses are melted and slightly golden. Serve warm.
Jakarta-born chef Theodora Hurustiati, a 12-year resident of Udine, Italy, was the runner-up in the TV cooking program La Scuola – Cucina di Classe (The School: Classy Cooking) in 2011.
JPlus August 30, 2015 15
trendDIAL The Great
Entler
Watch out for these wilting-plant and one-eyed-creature lamps from ENTLER. The Los Angeles-based ceramics studio recently launched a unique lighting collection that designer Jonathan Entler says began with an idea for hand-modeled pieces that would reflect the properties of natural building materials. ENTLER’s custom-engineered casting system makes for eclectic pieces in bright colors, such as pink, yellow, black, white or charcoal. Produced in very limited runs, the objects will become a centerpiece for any dining room, living room or bedroom. The lamps reflect Entler’s philosophy that good design should embody the simplest, most functional forms – and that materials used should tell stories from the past and wear into the future.
Cocktail Kit
It’s five o’clock somewhere, so gear up with this portable cocktail kit. The story begins with designer Stephen Kenn and his friends David Kaplan and Alex Day, the mixologists from two legendary watering holes: Death&Co. in New York City and Honeycut in Los Angeles. The trio lamented how hard it was to find a good drink while on the road. After a year of planning, they found a way to keep happy hour mobile. Their cocktail kit, devised by Kenn, comes in handsome tan leather, which holds 9 empty bottles and a mixing spoon in an olive canvas interior. Meanwhile, Kaplan and Day devised 15 different recipes and an essential guide to mixing for the peripatetic hipster. So fill the bottles, choose your poison and enjoy!
16
JPlus August 30, 2015
Leica Ultravid 8x32 Edition Zagato
Not yet a year old, the US-based The Great just released their third collection, featuring old-fashioned classic American work wear and vintage-style Victorian pieces. The creations of designers Emily Current and Meritt Ellio range from simple shirtgowns, heavily distressed slouchy jeans and lightweight embroidered blouses and skirts made from fabrics such as soft-washed 100 percent cotton to denim. Colors are mainly browns, blues and whites with surprising
Instead teaming up to produce a camera, Leica and Italian automotive atelier Zagato have crafted a exquisite limited-edition series of binoculars. Devised with cuttingedge technology and boasting a lightweight aluminum construction, the binoculars have lenses marked with Zagato’s trademark anodized red ring. Countless milled grooves gives users distinctive haptic feedback, while a genuine Italian leather case with hand strap designed by Zagato lets you tout the looking glasses in style. The Leica Ultravid 8x32 Edition Zagato will be available in September at Leica boutiques and stockists, but act fast: Only 1,000 will be made.
dashes of orange and army green. For women who love a challenge, The Great collection gives you a playful, dapper and crisplooking style, especially when worn boots!
POP
CLASSIC YOU KNOW YOU WANT THIS
Pantone Cafe
The famous color-matching system company Pantone has cooked up a selection of brilliant products for a new pop-up cafe. The Instagram-worthy venue is set on sunny Larvotta beach on Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The cafe's vibrant-yellow counter and packaging materials are head-turning. Each of the cafe’s colorful dishes are color-coded with their own Pantone color chips, such as super-red strawberry ices that are perfectly matched with Pantone 16-1720 cups, while trays and chairs boast colors ranging deom ultramarine to shocking pink. Snap a picture of your color-coded lunch before the Pantone Cafe closes in September! +Banyubening Prieta