How Two BINUS UNIVERSITY Fashion Management Students Made It to Paris Fashion Week 2020
Expressing ideas and personal expressions can be done through various means and media, such as writings, paintings, music, and of course, fashion collections. Two Fashion Management students from BINUS Northumbria School of Design (BNSD), Cynthia Halim and Nabila Kaulika, try to convey their ideas of peace and freedom of expression via their fashion brand, HANYUTAN. This year, Cynthia and Nabila got an opportunity to showcase their collections and spread their ideas to an international audience in Paris Fashion Week 2020.
The Road to Paris Fashion Week 2020
Cynthia and Nabila, together with Nadira Alisha Suarga and Arintha Vysistha who are two alumnae from the same program, showcased their fashion collections on Saturday, 3 October 2020, at Château de Bourron, France. In this year’s Paris Fashion Week, the four of them presented their contemporary ready-to-wear collections that were inspired by Lasem, Minangkabau, and Balinese cultures. Cynthia said that this achievement to be able to take part in Paris Fashion Week 2020 began from their project for Jakarta Fashion Week in 2018. Their collections that were showcased in “The Untold Story; Lasem Revealed” – a fashion show by BNSD in Jakarta Fashion Week 2018 – managed to attract the interest of one fashion agency that is taking part in Paris Fashion Week. Then, they were asked for meetings and to prepare their portfolios and sketches. And after a meticulous selection process, they were chosen as two of 50 designers from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore to showcase their collections in Paris Fashion Week.
Photo: Hanyutan Indonesia
HANYUTAN: The Voice of Idea of Peace and Freedom of Expression in a Fabric Form
HANYUTAN by Cynthia Halim and Nabila Kaulika is a brand inspired by the human ego that can create a clash between cultures. HANYUTAN comes from the word ‘hanyut’. The word itself has several meanings, one of which is: ‘terbawa oleh arus’ (carried by a stream). The stream of the human ego is sometimes so powerful that it can create a wave of hatred shattering everything around it. This collection aims to promote the idea of peace and freedom of expression through the influence of punk culture. The purpose is to show that we can inherit and adapt to both cultures without war, violence, or discrimination. Moreover, Cynthia explained, HANYUTAN also wants to highlight and retell the story of Indonesian traditional culture and fabrics which are slowly being forgotten, even swallowed by the stream and vanishing.
The Resolutions and Plans for the Future
The opportunity to participate on an international stage like Paris Fashion Week is a tremendous achievement that takes hard work, tenacity, creativity, and innovation. Cynthia herself admitted that this is a dream come true for her and Nabila. “I’m surprised, proud, feeling disbelief, and extremely happy for this opportunity. To be able to showcase our very first ready-to-wear collection in Paris Fashion Week is a great achievement,” Cynthia said. However, the two talented designers aim to take HANYUTAN and themselves multiple steps further. For them, this achievement is not a finish line, but a crucial stepping stone for their future. Two fashion collections from HANYUTAN, RTW Collection and SAKA 1335, have already entered the production process. Cynthia said that those two collections will be ready to enter the market shortly. Furthermore, although Cynthia and Nabila want to keep developing HANYUTAN, they also want to expand and develop other creations and projects. In the end, Cynthia said that an accomplishment like theirs is not something that can’t be achieved by others. With perseverance and hard work, it is attainable. “Be yourself. Don’t give up and keep going because your hard work definitely will pay off,” she concluded.
This article is originally posted by BINUS Northumbria School of Design.
