Especially for our Fashion Issue, we discover the many layers of fashion with the pillars of fashion industry: fashion directors.

We talk to Indonesia’s prominent fashion directors about their life, before and after fashion. They are not just leading the nation’s lookbook—some of them even have revealed their figures at global level runways.

AUGUSTE SOESASTRO

TEXT Vanya Gabriela Sujanto | PHOTO Febi Ramdhan | STYLING Bung Bung Mangaraja

“Whatever we are trying to do, we have to simplify it. Simplifying doesn’t mean making things easier, it just means aesthetically reducing unnecessary elements. This is the new expression of luxury.” – Auguste Soesastro

Best known for simple and sleek lines flowing in neutral palettes, Auguste Soesastro has risen to a list of young couturiers in Indonesia with his Kraton line. He is armed with fashion education in Paris' École de la chamber syndicale de la couture Parisienne, and architecture, film, and animation in Australia's University of Sydney and Australian National University respectively. He has also worked under Givenchy in Paris and Ralph Pucci in New York.

NONITA RESPATI

TEXT Listya Manopo | PHOTOS Rudi Sulistya | STYLIST Bung Bung Mangaraja

“Don’t repress our idealism and ego, instead, find the perfect formula that suits well to expand and scale up our business.” —Nonita Respati

Nonita is the founder of Purana, a local brand established in 2008 that focuses on bringing forward local wisdom. According to her, Purana is an accessible luxury, in which it contains the idea, the thinking, the complication, but is more reasonably priced compared to other luxury brands. Not labeling her brand into ethnic category, Nonita prefers if people see Purana as a fashion line with a distinct style with different approaches to modernize Indonesian fabrics.

DIDIT HEDIPRASETYO

TEXT Listya Manopo | PHOTOS Courtesy of Didit Hediprasetyo

“One thing I always do believe is that I want to create something that can visually tell a story or reflect an emotion.” –Didit Hediprasetyo

Pride of Indonesia, Didit Hediprasetyo, has been a familiar name in Paris Fashion Week’s list of participating designers for years. Didit Hediprasetyo and his eponymous brand believe in the principle ‘elegance in simplicity,’ emphasizing aesthetics that showcase the beauty and pure definition of today’s modern world.

PEGGY HARTANTO

TEXT Ahda Arifa Ismail | PHOTOS Vicky Tanzil & Carol Kuntjoro

“We want our clients to have confidence and feel empowered when they are wearing our design. We want them to have brought us along to the most important moments of their lives.” —Peggy Hartanto

When talking about young, talented designers in Indonesia’s fashion industry, one cannot simply overlook Peggy Hartanto. Peggy herself was named in the “30 Under 30: The Arts” well-respected list by Forbes Asia. Her eponymous gained more confidence when it was chosen as International Woolmark Prize Asia Nominee: a prestigious honor for rising fashion designers from all over the globe.

DANA MAULANA

TEXT Adelia Ayu | PHOTOS Rudi Sulistya | STYLING Bung Bung Mangaraja

“Danjyo has a youth spirit that keeps us innovating. We always keep up on what’s trending before all the social media craze. It’s a key that keeps Danjyo’s relatable to every generation.” —Dana Maulana

Bringing youth spirit and innovative designs through Danjyo Hiyoji, Dana Maulana is showing us how lethal a mix between vision and mission could be. In his Danjyo Hiyoji trademark white shirt that shows “We are Danjyo Hiyoji” on the left side where the heart is, Dana shared that the brand had become his life, just like heart beats that keep his life going. “At the beginning, Danjyo Hiyoji was a quick-fire idea between me and Liza Mashita in 2001 and now, it has become our life purpose”.

Discover the full story on #FashionIssue, available in your favorite bookstores this September.