Fashion Show Merdi Sihombing X Humbang Kriya In Simangulampe

Fashion show 'Simangulampe' Merdi Sihombing x Humbang Kriya (Doc.Merdi Sihombing)

JAKARTA - What if two friends who are very creative and care about society and the environment unite? Of course, a big work will be created. That is what the designers of Merdi Sihombing and Dumasi Marisina M. Samosir, Director of PT Asuransi Sinar Mas and supervisor of Rumah Kreatif Sinar Mas.

Through the fashion show Simangulampe Merdi Sihombing x Humbang Kriya, the two grand works were also displayed. The event, which was held on November 16, 2024, in the Sunken Area, the Indonesian National Museum, is part of a series of events at The Flying Cloth, the 25th anniversary of Merdi Sihombing working in the fashion industry.

The journey of Merdi Sihombing's collaboration with MSMEs assisted by the Sinar Mas Creative House, Humbang Kriya, began in 2016. At that time Dumasi invited Merdi to help train MSMEs to donate Crafts in the Dolok Sanggul area, North Sumatra.

"Through Humbang Kriya, I tried to revive the culture of cloth braids by teaching them to Humbang Kriya craftsmen. What I teach is not only from how to make them, but also the dyes that all come from nature," explained Merdi.

From there came the superior product of Humbang Kriya named Humbang Shibori. "Humbang Shibori is a product that is very popular because his unique motifs and fabrics are also comfortable to wear. In addition, this product supports sustainable fashion through its natural coloring technique," said Dumasi.

Colored Materials From Hotel Waste

Since the beginning, the Humbang Kriya craftsmen have used natural ingredients from nature as natural dyes for their fabrics, such as grass, wood, and other plants. Well, in 2024, Merdi initiated a new idea for Humbang Kriya to use hotel kitchen waste as a dye for Humbang Shibori's cloth.

"Currently we are working with the Coffee Hotel Ayola Dolok Sanggul (CHADS) to collect their kitchen waste, such as potato skin, turmeric, carrots, and various fruits. This waste will be boiled until its color comes out, then filtered with water. Well, the cloth that has been tied will be soaked in the water. The process of submerging it must also be many times so it takes a long time, "explained Dumasi.

Although this time it has only collaborated with one hotel, Dumasi hopes that in the future there will be more hotels that will cooperate in providing their kitchen waste.

Offerings for Simangumpe

Merdi said that this fashion show is full of stories. In addition to the story about Humbang Kriya products, this fashion show is also a special offering for residents of Simangulempe Village, North Sumatra, who experienced an earthquake and landslide disaster in 2023.

Several residents of Simangumpe Village also made Humbang Shibori cloth displayed on this fashion show. So, we help them to get new sources of income after their area gets disaster, "said Dumasi.

A short film about the experience of craftsmen from Simangulampe who participated in making Humbang Shibori cloth was also shown at the beginning of the demonstration.

There were 15 collections presented by Merdi Sihombing x Humbang Kriya that night. This collection is a silk cloth motif of Humbang Shibori combined with songket woven fabrics and ulos from Merdi Sihombing.

Bright colors from Merdi's woven fabrics look harmonious with the softer Humbang Shibori cloth with a distinctive natural color. As a complement, Merdi also added handicraft bags from Purun plants and accessories from glass recycle and silver craftsmen.

As for the fashion design, Merdi was inspired by the historical journey of Batak traditional clothes which began to be influenced by Malay culture.

I want to show the journey of Batak Clothing through this demonstration. So, when the culture of Malay began to enter Batak culture, Batak women wore brackets. Well, most of Humbang Shibori's collection I made brackets that I combined with Merdi Sihombing woven fabrics," explained Merdi.

Dumasi feels grateful to have received support from many parties in carrying out the Rumah Kreatif Humbang Kriya project. One of them is from the Indonesian Business and Finance Srikandi Community which is a model in this fashion show. A number of female figures who appeared in this fashion show, including Aviliani, Vera Eve Lim, Lies Permana Lestari, Miranda Goeltom, and Shinta Maruarar Sirait also performed enchanting on the runway with the collection of Merdi Sihombing x Humbang Kriya. "This support from many parties makes Humbang Kriya successful as it is today. Until our products can be widely known even abroad. Of course, this is very helpful for Humbang Kriya craftsmen in Dolok Sanggul, "said Dumasi.

Merdi Sihombing said that the performance of The Flying Cloth is a collaboration project with various parties. Especially local craftsmen who present their own distinctive culture and continue to uphold the concept of sustainability. It is hoped that by looking at this performance, public knowledge of sustainability and Indonesian culture in the fashion sector will be wider, even global.