London calling for Dian Pelangi’s Muslim fashion

Meghan Downes
JAKARTA

SHIMMERING Sumatran songket intricately woven cloth, detailed Javanese batik and elaborate Balinese headdresses usually have their place in traditional ceremonies. But today, they are gracing the catwalks of London.

Indonesian fashion designer Dian Pelangi is one of 12 international designers selected to contribute to the two-day exclusive Muslim fashion event, the Haute Arabia High Tea 2014 in the UK.

Dian said she is proud to present her most recent line at the event, held from Jan 17-18 and was scheduled to be attended by members of both British and Middle Eastern royal families.

Dian Pelangi

The designs, which were recently presented to the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry ahead of her trip, draw heavily on traditional Indonesian fabrics and styles, while also displaying the designer’s signature modern twist.

“Since we’re bringing the designs to London, which is famous for its influential royal family, the theme for this collection is Royal Kingdoms of Indonesia,” Dian said.

Representing the powerful Majapahit kingdom, two models were decked out in long flowing robes crafted from beautiful batik fabrics in tones of red, maroon, beige and chocolate. The models slowly twirled fans as the gentle sound of Javanese gamelan played in the background.

The great empire of Sriwijaya was also referenced in the collection, with figure-hugging silk dresses in bright colors teamed with short jackets made from shimmering gold songket.

The gold theme continued with gold headdresses, breastplate-style necklaces and decorative gold jewellery that elongated the models’ fingers.

While parading the shimmering pieces, the Sriwijaya models performed dance movements from South Sumatra, accompanied again by local music.

Finally, in homage to the ancient kingdoms of Bali, the closing design featured billowing skirts, a colourful jacket in geometric black patterns and a fresh frangipani headdress. Shaded by a silver parasol, the model sprinkled offerings of rice over the catwalk.

Teaming each design with accompanying music and movements served to highlight and accentuate the regional themes of the pieces.

While the influence of traditional costume is striking, the pieces also displayed more everyday functionality than the heavy and somewhat restrictive outfits that are usually reserved for weddings and traditional ceremonies.

The fabrics are lighter, the designs easier to move in, and the dresses also sport modern twists in the way they are cut and layered.

Although Dian has previously held fashion shows in London, Paris, Germany, Dubai, Kuwait and Jordan, to name a few, she is particularly excited about the upcoming Haute Arabia event in the UK.

“I feel honored, proud and grateful to be representing Indonesia at this event,” said the 23-year-old.

“It’s so exciting,” she continued, “because Muslim fashion is no longer underestimated, and it is really becoming a serious industry.”

An invitation of Hauter Arabia High Tea on December 11, 2013

The global Muslim fashion industry is indeed a multimillion-dollar market. There is increasing demand for designer Islamic fashion both in Muslim countries and in non-Muslim countries that have Muslim populations like Australia or the UK.

Dian also points out the designs can be worn by anyone — Muslim or non-Muslim alike — and many have a universal appeal.

“We mix the local influences with global designs, in order to broaden their appeal,” she explained.

Dian describes this particular line as “high-end” as many of the materials, such as the gold-woven songket, are very expensive to work with.

“There is a market for this level of luxury design, particularly among fashionistas in the Middle East.”

Dian said Middle Eastern consumers find Indonesian fabrics very bright and festive, and appreciate the gold detailing and “bling” of traditional Indonesian designs. However, she does make some modifications when designing for shows abroad.

“We tone down the colors a little for the foreign market, often using darker maroons instead of reds.”

It is this kind of savvy insight into what attracts buyers that has catapulted this young designer onto the global fashion stage, where she continues to act as an advocate and ambassador for traditional Indonesian fabrics and designs.

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.

The Jakarta Post
Sat, January 18, 2014

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/01/18/london-calling-dian-pelangi-s-muslim-fashion-line.html

http://theactualstyle.com/id/dian-pelangi-menuju-haute-arabian-high-tea-2014/

http://www.hautearabia.com/products/haute-arabia-high-tea-london-2014

Trekking the emerald forests of Brunei

Darul Aqsha
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

BEFORE you visit forest recreational parks in neighbouring countries, why not experience the beauty of our very own parks here in the Sultanate.

The forest recreational parks in Brunei Darussalam have been designed and developed by the Forestry Department under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Sources as an ecotourism industry to serve the public with a dual purpose to provide the public with venues for outdoor recreation and also to promote awareness and appreciation of the surrounding Mother Nature.

In conjuction with World Forestry Day, the following are some of the forest recreational parks that the adventurous trekkers should try:

Ulu Temburong

Located in Temburong District, it is the first National Park in Brunei Darussalam.

One of the amenities in the park is the Canopy Walk where visitors can climb all the way up and see the beautiful scenery of the top of the green giant forest. To reach the canopy, visitors can choose between the environmentally friendly broadwalk or a challenging forest walk.

Tumpuan Telisai

Located about 66km from Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB), the area contains a number of unique and interesting species of trees, such as Penaga Laut (Callophylum inophyllum), Ketapang (Terminalia catappa), Kulimpapa (Vitex pubescens).

Sungai Liang
Situated some 70km from Bandar Seri Begawan, it consists largely of undisturbed lowland forest. The park provides good visitor facilities such as sites for picnics, jogging, hiking, and nature appreciation trails providing access to various spots within the park. Other attractions to this park include a mini lake, floating hut, shelters huts and open areas ideal for outdoor recreational activities.

Selirong Island
The park is southeast of Brunei Bay and comprises a large mangrove forest. The only access to reach the park is by motor boat. The meandering water channel in the park is lined with mangrove trees reputed to be the largest in the region propped up by a labyrinth of stilt roots and laced by patches of nipah palms.

The island also harbours a wide variety of interesting wildlife that includes unique mammals, colourful resident and migratory birds, rare reptiles, fishes and crustaceans.

Luagan Lalak

It is located some 25km from the Sungai Liang Forest Recreation Park within the Labi Hills Forest Reserve. It features an alluvial freshwater swamp.

In drier months, the water level usually recedes drastically, and the valley is covered by a field of sedges, mainly Lepironia species.

Bukit Subok

This park is located about one kilometre from Bandar Seri Begawan.

There is a two-kilometre trek going up and down. From the vantage point of the park, visitors can take an exhilarating view of Kampong Ayer including the capital and the palace.

A visit to the park is highly recommended especially for photographer enthusiasts.

Bukit Shahbandar
Located 15km from Bandar Seri Begawan, it has a number of beautiful spots worth visiting.

Aside from the usual facilities provided, this park boasts fish ponds, a multi-purpose open arena which can be used for top spinning competitions, remote control car racing and other recreational activities.

An interesting feature of the park is the observation tower at the summit of the hill, from which one can savour the panoramic view of the South China Sea and coastline to the north, Bandar Seri Begawan and suburbs to the Southwest, the Istana Nurul Izzah and Jerudong Park to the west, and wide tracts of green land (Kerangas Forests, Belukar Forests and farm lands) elsewhere.

Bukit Patoi
The park is located 15km from Pekan Bangar, Temburong District.

At the rocky summit of Bukit Patoi, there is an open and flat patch which doubles as a helipad and a lookover point.

From this vantage point, amid a pleasant breeze, visitors can take an exhilarating view of the green and blue panorama that extends to the horizon, including the scenery in neighbouring Lawas, Sarawak coastlines and the South China Sea.

Berakas
Located beside the South China Sea, some 18km from the capital, the park comprises Kerangas trees that had endured forest fires several times. There is also a number of unique and interesting species of trees, such as ‘Sindok-sindok’ (Endospermum sp) and ‘Selunsor’ (Tristania sp).

The department’s statistic record showed the number of visitors to the forest recreational parks have sharply increased from 145,216 people (2000) to 2,367,083 (2010) or around 16.3 per cent.

The Forestry Department also considers to add more forest recreational parks. Under the 7th National Development Plan, the department has lined up the following strategic sites for development, namely Bukit Saeh near Kampong Ayer in Brunei-Muara, and two parks in Belait: Bukit Teraja in Labi and Badas in Seria.

The Brunei Times
Tuesday, March 22, 2011

http://www.bt.com.bn/features/2011/03/22/trekking-emerald-forests-brunei

Bengkulu municipality drafts regulation on Jum’ah prayer obligatory

“Yes, the law is currently being setup. The name of the regulation is ‘Bengkulu Relijius’ (Religious Bengkulu). Not only compulsory for the congregational Friday prayers, but the five times prayers a day are also required. Regulation taxpayer is there, let alone obligatory prayers regulations, there must be as well,” the Head of the Bengkulu Municipality’s Religious Affairs Office, Mukhlis, told Tribunnews.com, Friday (01/17/2014).

Pemko Bengkulu Siapkan Perda Wajib Shalat Jumat