Muslim Women Formal Wear Spring 2015 – Interview With Indonesian Muslim Fashion Designer

Assalamualaikum …

In continuation of my previous article on aMuslima, I’ve spoken with an Indonesian Muslim women clothing designer whose work has been widely sold in the market, has been used by many artists and models on TV shows, and has been featured in famous magazines in Indonesia. I’ve known her from my best friend who loves to read articles on aMuslima and I’m happy to learn that she also said aMuslima is one of her favorite website. Masha Allah …

Her family started the business in 1999 and this coming June 2015 will be 16 years in business. Her name is Indri, although she is commonly called by her nick name, Moesye, and the name of her Muslim clothing boutique is ALBIS. The boutique has sold out in the Indonesian market and she aspires to expand the family business abroad. With more than 15 years of experience in Muslim fashion, she, her sister, and her mother’s Muslim clothing designs are well regarded throughout the the country and it is no wonder that their work is popular among artists and models in Indonesia until today.

When we talked about Muslim clothing trends, she described some typical Muslim fashion designs from ALBIS’which are convenient to use in formal occasions, especially during the spring season.

As we know, most official ceremonies are held in rooms where the temperature is controlled and adapted to the weather conditions outside. Her dress designs, however, can be worn for both official ceremonies and in an open courtyard. Typical clothing from ALBIS is likely to be designed for formal occasions and many of the designs are created to exhibit characteristics of Indonesia.

Here’s my Q & A with Moesye about her designs:

1.How do you combine fashion from ALBIS with trademarks of Indonesia?

Answer:

We are usually inspired when we are visiting the cities of Indonesia where we see many different types and patterns of batik cloth which is our reference when designing embroidery that has become typical of ALBIS. Moreover, our designs are combined with batik from several regions in Indonesia, and with our handmade embroidery, they are very easy to sell and always sell out.

You can see an example in the following picture:

 

Picture 1
Combination of silk from Makasar (Sulawesi Island, Indonesia) and embroidery handmade ‘Albis Group’
Pic
A unique batik cloth from Tasikmalaya (West Java, Indonesia) with embroidery of “Albis”

2. How do you rate the difficulty in making the embroidery typical to ALBIS?

Answer:

The level of difficulty depends on how many articles of clothing are desired with embroidery. It really requires special skills because the embroidery is handcrafted and not anyone can do it. In general, it requires a minimum 6 months of training to make embroidery. For example, for a dress with embroidery it takes a minimum of one day for the embroidery process alone. To make an embroidered tunic, blouse or men’s shirt, one day can produce only 1 or 2 articles of clothing.

Here are photos clothing with embroidery design work from Albis:

P
Combination with brocade fabric
Pic
Moesye and her model. Combination between lame and jaguard materials.

 

Pic 5
Combination of chiffon and Pakistan men shirt

3. According to you, why do customers love embroidery from ALBIS?

Answer:

I think that there are so many who like the embroidery of ALBIS designs because our designs are original. We have our own characteristics and our designs are produced in limited editions. Usually our customers are from the upper middle class and they do not want clothing that looks like that which is found in the market.

4. What is the selling price range of Albis clothing?

Answer:

Because of the work required and the special skills needed for making handmade materials, production cost and the selling price is high. We do not take too much profit from our selling price, and it is within $US 30 to $US 200.

5. What are some of the advantages of Muslim fashion  from ALBIS when compared to other Muslim clothing?

Answer:

That which distinguishes our designs from other Muslim designs is that we do not just sell clothes alone, but we sell artwork that we apply to typical Indonesian styles of embroidered handicrafts. And most importantly, ALBIS designs are timeless … vintage …

The following are some of ALBIS dresses:

 

"Albis" Dresses
“Albis” Dresses

 

"Albis" Designs
“Albis” Designs
"Albis" Designs
“Albis” Designs

Hopefully my interview with Moesye above could provide new inspiration for You in Muslim dress.

Wassalamualaikum

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