Jakarta’s annual fashion and food festival highlighting culinary treats and the works of home designers is under way. The festival, jointly organized by the Jakarta Tourism Office and property developer Summarecon Group, is the seventh of its kind and is once again being held at Kelapa Gading Mall in North Jakarta.
Governor Fauzi Bowo kicked off the festival last Wednesday. It will go on until this Sunday.
Governor Fauzi Bowo kicked off the festival last Wednesday. It will go on until this Sunday.
“This festival has been gaining popularity in Indonesia and neighboring countries since its inception in 2004,” Fauzi said in his opening speech. “And by featuring local, national and international food and fashion, the event has significantly improved Jakarta’s image as a metropolitan city that boasts multicultural values.”
The city’s tourism office has listed the exhibition, officially called the Jakarta Fashion and Food Festival, in its calendar of events.
Arie Budhiman, head of the office, said the city was in dire need of more cultural events to draw tourists.
“This festival draws local and foreign tourists into the city. It’s also a positive effort to improve the creativity of local businesses and lifestyle communities in Jakarta.”
With this year’s theme of “Heritageous,” the festival aims to present the richness of Indonesian heritage in food and fashion. The main events of the JFFF are a fashion extravaganza, a food festival and the Gading Nite Carnival.
Some of the country’s most prominent and rising designers are showcasing their newest lines during the festival, which is sponsored by such organizations as the Association of Indonesian Fashion Designers and Entrepreneurs (APPMI), cosmetic producer Martha Tilaar Group and Rumah Pesona Kain, an affiliation of collectors of traditional Indonesian textiles.
The fashion extravaganza features presentations by Indonesian designers and labels displaying their ready-to-wear products and masterpiece collections in the ballroom of the newly opened Harris Hotel Kelapa Gading.
Adjacent to the main ballroom is the Fashion Village, which showcases 30 local fashion designers, as well as a special exhibition by Rumah Pesona Kain featuring traditional Indonesian textiles.
The Kampoeng Tempo Doeloe (Old Kampong) food festival is being held in the alfresco area of La Piazza (Mall Kelapa Gading 3), which is decorated to resemble an old-time Betawi village. The food festival features noodle creations from all over the archipelago, as well as traditional cakes and snacks.
Visitors can also enjoy traditional entertainment such as topeng monyet (monkey show), wayang potehi (Chinese puppets) and layar tancep (local movies shown outdoors on a big screen) in La Piazza. Wine tastings, wine and food pairing classes and cheese samplings are also scheduled in the La Piazza area.
The Gading Nite Carnival will be held on Saturday. The masquerade-themed carnival will feature parades of giant ondel-ondel (traditional Betawi puppets), decorated cars, marching bands and cosplay, as well as Summarecon staff dressed in masks and costumes.
APPMI chairman Taruna Kusmayadi welcomed the event, which he said “not only promotes Indonesian food and fashion products, but helps sustain local industries.”
Taruna, who is himself a prominent designer, said: “This is very important, especially as Indonesia has inked the deal and become a member of the China-Asean free trade area this year.”
Anwar A Salim, chairman of JFFF’s organizing committee, said: “The festival is getting more vibrant and exciting in its seventh year. We hope it will be a major contribution to the improvement of the Indonesian fashion and culinary industries.”
For more details of the events and schedule, visit www.jfff.info
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