Building the Future of Fashion from Creativity to Sustainability

PINTU seminar at IFI Thamrin (Photo: VOI/Adelia)

JAKARTA - The fashion industry continues to grow in line with technological advances, changes in consumer habits, and increased environmental awareness. Fashion is now not just about trends and appearances, but also about how products are made, who is involved, as well as their value and impact on consumers.

This is one of the discussions in the Indonesian-French Seminar on Fashion and Craftsmanship: Rethinking the Fashion of Tomorrow which was held on July 28, 2026 at IFI Jakarta. This seminar is part of the PINTU Focus Week 2026 and the French-Indonesian Innovation Year 2026.

Through the PINTU Fashion Incubator, this activity brings together designers, craftsmen, researchers, educators, and creative industry players from Indonesia and France. This program is a collaboration between the French Embassy through the French Institute of Indonesia (IFI), LAKON Indonesia, and JF3 Fashion Festival.

The meeting discussed how the fashion industry can grow while still paying attention to craftsmanship, innovation, education, and sustainability. Changes in the fashion industry are assessed as requiring more than just creativity. Knowledge and ecosystems that can help talents grow are also needed.

Founder of LAKON Indonesia, Thresia Mareta said that changes in the fashion industry have been taking place for more than two decades. Changes in the market and technology also affect the way people see and appreciate fashion products.

"Markets are changing, technology is evolving, and the way people value products is also changing. But one thing is clear, a strong fashion industry is not built with creativity alone. It requires knowledge, well-being, business understanding, and an ecosystem that allows talent to grow," explained Thresia.

According to Thresia, this spirit is one of the foundations of the PINTU Incubator. This program combines the strengths and perspectives of Indonesia and France to open up space for designers to learn and exchange ideas.

"PINTU brings a different strength and perspective from Indonesia and France, creating a space for designers to learn, change ideas, and see their work in a border context," he said.

This cross-country collaboration also opens up opportunities for designers, mentors, institutions, and partners to not only share knowledge, but also create works and ideas together.

"The most exciting thing is to see more and more collaborations and co-creation processes that grow naturally from this program. Designers, mentors, institutions, and partners not only meet to share knowledge, but in many cases also start creating something together," said Thresia.

For Thresia, this shows that PINTU has evolved into more than just a series of activities. This program is a space that brings together various parties and opens up opportunities for new ideas and cooperation.

"For us, this is very meaningful. This shows that PINTU has evolved into more than just a series of activities. This program builds relationships that give birth to new ideas, opens up opportunities for cooperation, and presents various new possibilities," he said.

Discussion about the future of fashion is also inseparable from the richness of culture and traditional expertise. Indonesia has many craft heritage and cultural knowledge that have been passed down from generation to generation. However, these legacies need to continue to be developed so that they remain relevant to changing times.

Thresia assessed that preserving heritage not only means maintaining something from the past, but also ensuring that the values within it remain alive and thriving.

"Indonesia has an incredible wealth of companies and cultural knowledge. However, heritage must not only be saved. It also needs to stay alive, grow, and find relevance in this world," he added.

The idea is in line with the theme of this year's JF3 Fashion Festival, Recrafted: Shaping the Future. According to Thresia, building the future does not mean abandoning what you already have, but finding new ways to pass on the value of the legacy.

"Shaping the future does not mean leaving the past behind. It means understanding what we already have, thinking about its value, and finding new ways to pass it on," he continued.

The idea of sustainability was also part of the first panel session titled Craftsmanship and Slow Fashion. This session discusses how traditional craft expertise can be an inspiration for today's fashion while supporting a more responsible production process.

The discussion featured Thresia Mareta, Darja Richter-Windhoff, Fengyuan Dai, Gabriel Marcella Budiono, and Mickael Nana. They discussed the importance of expertise, the use of local materials, cultural heritage, entrepreneurship, and sustainability in the fashion industry.

The discussion invites participants to look back at the relationship between slow fashion and the future of the industry. Fashion products are not only judged by how fast they are made or how they follow trends, but also by the manufacturing process, quality, durability, and value they possess.

In addition to handicrafts and slow fashion, technology is also an important part of fashion development. This was discussed in the Textile Innovation and Future of Fashion session which raised textile innovation, circular design, production methods, research, and education.

Pascaline Wilhelm, Mathieu Buard, Alia Sarasita, and Mohamad Widodo also shared their views on the development of new practices in the fashion industry and the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration.

The future of fashion requires cooperation from various parties. Designers cannot walk alone. Researchers, educators, craftsmen, business actors, institutions, and consumers also have a role in creating change.

Forums such as PINTU Fashion Incubator are one of the important spaces to bring together various parties. The exchange of knowledge between Indonesia and France not only opens up new insights, but also encourages the birth of ideas and collaboration.

Thresia hopes that this seminar can open a wider space for dialogue regarding the direction of the fashion industry in the future.

"When we talk about thinking about the future, we're not just talking about what the future will look like. We're also asking how this should be created," Thresia said.

"How the value is built and how the company has meaning in a changing industry." he continued.

Talking about the future of fashion is not just about creating new designs. More than that, the future of fashion is about how creativity, expertise, technology, education, and sustainability can go together.

Through the exchange of knowledge and collaboration between Indonesia and France, PINTU Fashion Incubator shows that changes in the creative industry can start from a dialogue space. From there, various parties can learn from each other, develop ideas, preserve heritage, and create something relevant for the future.