Opportunities For Young Indonesian Designers On The Global Mode Stage Through International Collaboration

The Incubator DOOR Press Conference is to advance the work of Indonesian fashion designers (Dinno/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian fashion industry continues to grow, and more and more young designers show extraordinary potential in bringing the rich culture of the archipelago to the global stage.

Through cross-border collaboration and a deep approach to the legacy of local textiles, Indonesian designer works now have room to appear and are known to the world.

This opportunity not only arises from local mode market growth, but also from the support of various international initiatives that open access to wider education, mentoring and industrial networks.

One of these initiatives is the Pintu Incubator, which has entered its fourth year as a creative incubation program between Indonesia and France. This program is a platform for coaching young talents in the fashion design sector from both countries, bringing them together with professional mentors, fashion education institutions, and other creative industry players.

Since its first launch in 2022, PINTU has involved more than 10,000 brands, with 51 selected participants following the incubation process, as well as 86 experienced mentors, including a third of them from France. Apart from being a learning space and cultural exchange, the program also focuses on establishing portfolios and professional networks in the international market.

As a further step, in 2025, PINTU will launch a Residency Program, which provides opportunities for young French designers to live and work directly in Indonesia.

For three months, the participants will explore batik techniques on the island of Java and weaving in eastern Indonesia. Two selected participants this year, Kozue Sullerot and Priscilla Berthaud, will undergo residence and collaborate with local labels such as LAKON Indonesia.

The results of their collaborative work will be featured in a special presentation at the LAKON boutique and also at the Paris Premiere Classe, one of the prestigious fashion exhibitions in Europe.

This step was also strengthened through formal cooperation between PINTU and Duperre Paris Duperre, a leading art and design institution. The signing of this memorandum of understanding was witnessed directly by the Minister of Culture of France, Rachida Dati, as a form of support for a constructive and sustainable cultural exchange.

Thresia Mareta, the Coinitiator of the DOOR and the founder of LAKON Indonesia, emphasized that cross-cultural collaboration is important to create works that are not only aesthetic, but also full of meaning and contextual.

"We want designers not only to learn engineering, but also to absorb local culture philosophy and process it in works relevant globally," he said at a press conference held in Jakarta recently.

In line with that, Soegianto Nagaria, Chairman of JF3 who also initiated the Incubator DOOR, highlighted the importance of building a sustainable fashion ecosystem.

"In the last two decades, we have continued to support regeneration in the fashion industry. Through the DOOR, we are expanding its scope to the international realm, while still upholding local heritage," he explained.

As part of the JF3 Fashion Festival 2025, PINTU will also introduce the six latest incubation brands: CLV, Dya Sejiwa, Lil Public, Miss Rona, Rizkya Batik, and Denim It Up. They will present a work in a show titled Echoes of the Future, the result of a collaboration with students of Paris Duperre. The event will take place on July 27, 2025 at Summarecon Mall Kelapa Gading, Jakarta.

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