Jakarta. In his career as a creative director and designer, Felix Tjahyadi has always worked behind the scenes. Unlike fashion designers who take their bow at the end of each show, Felix works to orchestrate such memorable moments, having designed the sumptuous runway set for the fashion shows of Didi Budiardjo for the past several years.
He was also the mastermind behind Didi’s retrospective exhibition “Pilgrimage” at the Textile Museum in Central Jakarta, last January. Every single nook and cranny of the old museum was magically transformed by Felix and his team to showcase the designer’s dramatic creations and celebrate his 25-year journey in fashion. Each room represented a single theme taken from Didi’s trove of inspirations, from Indonesia’s embroidery heritage to the opulent world of Russian ballet.
His artistic prolificacy also encourages Felix to take on a myriad of other projects, primarily those that are related to fashion. He is now the creative director of Jade, a fashion boutique located in Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta, and Senayan City, South Jakarta, where he directs every visual aspect of the stores. He was also selected by prominent French luxury brand Hermès to design window displays for its stores in the capital.
His artistic approach has made his work truly stand out, transforming a usually mediocre window display into something akin to an art installation.
Felix took some time amid his busy schedule to talk to the Jakarta Globe recently about his approach to visual communication, the creative process behind his window display creations and what he thinks about the relationship between design and commerce.
What first drew you to art and design?
I guess there is a family influence. My mother has designed clothes since I was little, so even before I could speak, I already played with her fabric scraps and all her materials. And my grandmother used to be a ballet dancer. Perhaps that is how I got exposed to this world. Then, in my university years at Pelita Harapan University (UPH), I took visual communication as my major.
How would you describe what you are doing now? How did you start getting involved in fashion-related projects?
Essentially, I’m a visual communication person. My job is to design. I started out with an internship at a graphic design firm called Thinking*Room, where I got involved in a project by Kidz Inc. called Miniapolis [a children’s playground] in Plaza Indonesia. I am their creative director now and also involved in the business side.
From there, I was introduced to many people, including Jo Widira, the wife of photographer Kay Moreno. She introduced me directly to Didi Budiardjo and asked whether I would be interested to design for his fashion show. Of course I was really excited. I remember during my early years in university, I accompanied my mother to watch Didi’s show and thought, ‘One day, I must design for Didi Budiardjo.’ I was really impressed by his collection at the time. And now, I already designed for three of his shows and one exhibition.
How would you describe your creative process behind Didi’s retrospective exhibition?
Whenever I go abroad, I always love to go to museums. Even in Jakarta, I also come to museums, especially when I bring some guests. But I feel that many exhibitions in Indonesia are not meticulously organized, maybe because of the budget issue or whatnot. So I always have this dream in my mind to create this kind of exhibition. And when Didi decided to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his fashion career through this exhibition, I thought, ‘Why not?’
During the preparation process, I needed to know Didi personally as well as his work — what inspired him, his working process, what made him different from other designers and what message we could convey to visitors. That’s where I started.
What do you think about the public’s reception of the exhibition?
To be honest, we were really surprised. The location was far and not that easy to access, but the enthusiasm of the public was something we didn’t expect. At first, the exhibition was only open for one week, but we ended up extending it. So I think the crowd here [in Jakarta] is ready for this kind of exhibition, but unfortunately, such a thing is still rare.
You are also known for your window displays. How did you start doing them?
I started out as a window displayer for Jade boutique, but lately, I became some sort of their creative director. Because the scope of the boutique is not really big, we can create our own direction for every aspect: the in-store product display, the window display as well as the branding and character of Jade itself.
How do you usually decide on themes for their window display?
It starts from the design branding — what is the direction of Jade’s brand and what kind of message should it convey? For example, the current theme is “Orientalism” as a respond to the “China: Through the Looking Glass” exhibition [at the Costume Institute of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art]. This is how Jade communicates that it is fashion-forward in every aspect.
There is this general view that the success of a visual merchandiser is determined by the esthetic value and whether the displayed merchandises are sold. But for me, it’s more than that. A window display is the face [of a store] that conveys the brand’s character — it’s a place for communicating your message. That’s my approach in designing window display.
How did you end up doing the window display for Hermès in Jakarta?
I initially did not know when my name was submitted to be a window displayer for Hermès. I used to think that their window display in Indonesia was just like any other in foreign cities’. All of a sudden, I received a call saying that Hermès directors in the Paris headquarters liked my work, so I went there for a short orientation. I started working for Hermès in late 2013. They gave me freedom to create their window display in Indonesia. Obviously, there are themes, guidelines and many regulations that I must obey, but in terms of ideas and executions, they trusted me to do anything I want, so I think I’m very fortunate.
Your current window display for the Hermès boutique in Pacific Place is themed ‘Flâneur Forever.’ What’s the idea behind it?
Because the theme is related to flâneur [a French term for people who idly stroll around the city], I want the window display to look like the façade of various stores, so there is a newsstand, vintage camera shop, atelier, cake shop. This is related to people’s inner obsession as well. For example, the pink cake shop display will be more attractive for women, while the newsstand display speaks to the people working in the business district. So I took insights from the general characters of people and customers who will walk in front of the boutique.
Do you have a dedicated team for these projects?
For most projects, I usually work alone, but this year I formed a small team so we can be more focused and detailed in working on something.
What do you consider to be your most challenging project so far?
Every single one is actually challenging. It’s not the matter of the scale. Big or small, everything is the same for me. In any project, I do not only use my skills, but I do it with all my passion and soul — it has to be an all-out dedication. Maybe the outcome of a project is not perfect, but what’s important is that I do each project wholeheartedly.
How do you view the relationships between art, design, and fashion, especially, in your works? And where do you usually find your inspiration?
I’m not sure if what I’m doing can be called art. I emphasize more on design, even though I am very inspired by art. As a designer, I give a solution for my client’s problems and I communicate it visually. I don’t think there should be a border between these worlds. Any kind of design — interior, architecture, graphic — only differs in terms of their output, but principally, they are all the same.
To find inspiration, you have to really open your eyes and heart. You can be inspired by anything: good or bad, pretty or ugly. You have to be really sensitive and feel more. Back in university, great figures like Stefan Sagmeister and Alexander McQueen often inspired me. Well, I still am [inspired by such people] now, especially by Yohji Yamamoto whose way of thinking is really inspirational for me. But more than that, lately, I’m more inspired by the nature, the people I meet, their characters — it’s more about this very personal feeling.
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