As the Indonesian uniform industry grows in profitability and prestige, young design school graduates are increasingly considering the option. (JG Photos/Sylviana Hamdani)
There are many different aspects to the fashion industry. Each comes with their own set of gains and challenges. But all can be profitable businesses, if we know how to run them.
“Fashion is a commercial art,” says Musa Widyatmodjo, senior fashion designer and adviser to the Indonesia Fashion Designers Association (APPMI).
“The highlight [of the fashion industry] is on the commercial [side],” says the designer who runs his own fashion company, Musa Atelier.
“Whether we’re talking about Armani, Dior or LV, it’s all the same. Behind their glamorous facade, it’s all about the money.”
One of the little-known, yet very lucrative businesses in the fashion industry, is the uniform business.
“The uniform business is the only one [in the fashion industry] that totally depends on local people and materials,” Musa says.
“Throughout the year, there will be new staff in companies that need new uniforms. And the new uniforms should be made available very soon for them. It would be very difficult if [the companies] order [the uniforms] from abroad.”
The uniform business is also highly profitable.
“Designers are not selling clothes per se in the uniform business,” Musa says.
“What we sell is actually the design concept and philosophy. And that’s quite expensive.”
According to Musa, one uniform design may have a similar “fantastic price” to a top designer’s made-to-order bridal gown.
Each sketch will be translated into hundreds, or even thousands, of uniforms in a single purchase order. That purchase order may be repeated many times over while the company still uses the same design.
“It’s quite a profitable business,” says Musa, who graduated from Drexel University in Philadelphia.
Musa himself has a very successful uniform business. Through his label Musa Co., he has been producing uniforms for a number of airlines, banks, hotels and companies in Indonesia over the years.
“For me, the uniform business is fun,” Musa says with a big smile.
“There aren’t many competitors in the business, so I can be creative in creating a trend and developing uniform design concepts for professionals in Indonesia.”
According to the veteran designer, there is a shifting trend in the uniform business, which is also contributing to its growth.
“In the past, people were reluctant to wear uniforms,” he says.
“But now, they feel more proud and confident in their uniforms.”
The fashionable designs have been credited with this change.
“Whenever I go abroad, I always try to visit banks and offices,” Musa says.
“I notice that they’re using more fun colors, like bright pink, lime green and yellow in their uniforms. And the designs are definitely becoming more unique and stylish.”
Technological innovations have also resulted in a wide array of fabrics that are more comfortable for the staff to wear from nine to five.
“The fabrics are tailored according to the country’s climate, so it’s thicker for those living in the cooler climates and thinner in the hotter climate,” Musa says.
“And they also use highly stretchable fabrics for staff who do physical work.”
According to data provided by the Industry Ministry, the market for uniforms in Indonesia is worth an estimated Rp 9.5 trillion per year ($780 million). The local market growth in uniforms is between 3 percent and 6 percent per year at this point.
“The market has grown according to the rapid growth of industries in Indonesia,” Musa says.
Despite the huge potential of the uniform business, there are very few Indonesian designers interested in making uniforms.
“They’re not interested because the uniform business is not glamorous,” Musa says.
“Because of that, they overlook its profitability and the market’s growth potential.”
Trisula Textiles Industries (TTI) is a textile and garment company based in Cimahi, West Java, that has long been involved in the uniform industry.
To attract talented young designers to the business, TTI recently held its second uniform design competition of the year.
“The key to our success is innovation,” says Lukas Ginting, the marketing manager at TTI. “We always update our products according to today’s needs and wants.”
Among TTI’s main products is Bellini, a 100 percent polyester fabric that is mainly used to make uniforms.
As an important stakeholder in the uniform business, TTI realizes the significance of other stakeholders in the business.
“Our fabrics wouldn’t get to the end consumers without the help of fashion designers,” Lukas says.
“That’s why we want to expand our collaboration with fashion designers in Indonesia.”
The company produces thousands of kilometers of fabric each month. Approximately 65 percent of their fabrics are produced for the local market and 35 percent are exported to Europe, Japan and the United States.
TTI’s recent uniform design competition took on the theme “Priority Banking Frontliners,” to reflect the growth of the banking and finance industries in Indonesia.
Amongst the judges were Musa and Chandra Andriati, the director of Mido Indonesia, a subsidiary of TTI.
Of the more than a hundred designers who applied to participate in the competition, six finalists were selected by the jury to present their designs at a fashion show at Jakarta Fashion Week 2015.
Among the finalists was young designer Felicia Budi. The founder of the classy ready-to-wear label fbudi, Felicia said she was interested in taking part in the competition because of the challenge it presented.
“Designing uniforms is all about branding, and it’s very, very exciting for me,” she says.
She took inspiration from traditional Indonesian wear such as kebaya, the form-hugging women’s blouse, and baju koko, a Muslim-inspired smock for men.
The gray-and-black uniforms featured streamlined silhouettes and elegant high collars, wowing the audience with their blend of elegance and simplicity.
“For me, the main challenge in designing a uniform is in making sure that all body types [of the employees] will fit in beautifully,” says Arlini Hapsari Putri Pramudya, another designer picked as a finalist in the competition.
Arlini’s black-and-white uniforms were chic and tasteful, embellished with silver lining around the cuffs and pockets that seemed to elongate and streamline the torsos of the models.
Another participant, Juli Panto Kesuma, was drawn by the profitability of the uniform business.
“As I learned at school, the uniform business is highly profitable,” says Juli, a graduate of the White House Institute of Design in Melbourne.
“I want to learn more about it. And in this competition, I can get a lot of input, as well as make meaningful contacts.”
Juli’s uniform design combined soft turquoise, navy blue and dark brown. Thin horizontal lines adorned the collection.
Juli won first place in the competition, while Felicia was named the first runner-up and Arlini the second runner-up.
“We chose the winners based on their creativity, design wearability, design saleability, and appearance,” Musa says.
The winning designers shared a total prize of Rp 60 million and exclusive contracts with TTI.
For young designers who want to get into the uniform business, Musa advises setting up a registered limited-liability company first, or PT.
“For the kind of high-quantity orders involved in the uniform business, a PT will only do business with another PT,” Musa says.
“It makes everything easier on a legal level.”
Networking is also crucial in the uniform business.
“You have to develop a strong network with garment and textile manufacturers to be able to produce hundreds or thousands of pieces of uniforms and guarantee the continuity of your business,” Musa says.
Chandra from Mido Indonesia advises the designers to create uniforms according to the main functions of the staff.
“You have to make sure that the uniform will always look neat and feel comfortable on the staff in doing their jobs,” he says.
Therefore, choosing the right kind and quality of material to be both comfortable and durable is an important factor in the business.
“Companies usually refresh their staff uniforms once every year or two. The uniforms should still look good and wearable until then,” Chandra says.
However, the fabric used should also be affordable so that the final price doesn’t deter companies from placing orders.
“[The uniform business] isn’t easy,” Musa says.
“But that doesn’t meant the you should be afraid to embark on it.”
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