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00:00 Hi everyone, I'm Carol S. Rangun right here reporting for C2D News. I'm in the heart of
00:04 Paris and during Paris Fashion Week there are other events also including this premiere class
00:10 where this is a showroom where a lot of brands from around the world came here all in once to
00:16 showcase their products, their brands and I'm right here in the booth of Talent Indonesia Baila
00:22 Dress where there's eight Indonesian brands that is invited Baila Dress to showcase their products
00:28 and their brands and a total Indonesian elevation right here. Do you want to see more? Let's check it out.
00:33 All right and one of the brands that is now participating in Talent Indonesia Baila Dress
00:44 for premiere class 2024 is KASU and we have one of the founders and also creative director of KASU
00:51 Karisma Divitani. Hi, how are you? I'm fine. Okay so tell us a little bit about the KASU. Okay let's start from the name
00:59 so KASU, Karisma is my name and you for Surahman. That's right and what about KASU itself we see
01:08 that there's also some WASTRA Indonesia. Yes. Is that where is KASU committed to have all
01:13 WASTRA Indonesia in the collection? Yes. Okay so the next collection. Okay the first collection is WASTRA from?
01:19 It's from them. All right we're here with Ama Sultan as the head of partnership of Dress. I mean she
01:24 already came to our studio before now we're finally here seeing how it is on the ground.
01:30 How significant is premiere class like a somewhat like a trade show like this
01:35 especially for emerging new talents and also designers?
01:39 Trade fairs are the only way to go international to find international buyers to be present in
01:49 internationally. You have to come out of the country wherever you're from in order to grow.
01:55 So trade fairs especially the the big four fashion weeks Paris, London, New York, Milan
02:01 all the trade fairs in these countries they are very significant. You just have to find the right
02:06 trade fair that fits your brand and show consistently be present there to grow as a brand.
02:16 All right everyone we're still right here at premiere class specifically at the talent
02:20 Indonesia vital address and Indonesian government booth. Next to me we have a very special person
02:25 today it is Ibu Ruta Maria which she is the trade attache in the Indonesian embassy in Paris
02:31 from the Indonesian ministry of trade. Ibu, thank you very much for your time. I'm honored to be here.
02:36 And for specifically for this year you have eight Indonesian designers. Yes. So how do you curate
02:41 all these designers because we have we know there's a lot of designers coming from Indonesia
02:45 you have one from the jewelry accessories you have bags you have also the ready-to-wear. How do
02:50 you curate that Ibu Ruta? Okay actually I cannot do it by myself of course we work together with
02:56 the Latres Paris agency we work together with Amal Sultan. So she is the person that knows the market
03:03 so we we know the product. Yes. We know the exporters so we we chose the brands who are ready to
03:12 to compete. They are ready to to export and they have to be ready to compete in the global market
03:18 otherwise you know yeah it's it's it's hard to compete in the global platform.
03:22 All right folks so this is premier class at Jordan de Troilet in Paris as we've just seen eight
03:36 brands or eight Indonesian brands from eight designers from Indonesia really showcasing their
03:42 products and their brands right here at the international scale trade show in Paris. We
03:47 could really see these young creatives with their products with values and social responsibility
03:53 especially when they're in the fashion industry and of course elevating the name of Indonesia
03:59 in this international spectacle. I'm Caroline Sudah Hammad reporting live right here from
04:04 Premier Class Jordan de Troilet in Paris and we'll see you again soon.
04:07 All right you're back with us here on the C morning show and we just saw an exclusive look
04:17 at the clothes that are made by a local brand and it was recently showcased at the Latres
04:22 trade showroom in Paris and lucky for us we now have the opportunity to chat with Indonesian brand
04:29 Kasu co-founders Karisma Bibitami and the other one is our very own colleague she's what did I
04:35 mention all your titles you are a wife a mother a career woman and also an entrepreneur welcome and
04:41 thank you for being here it's great to have you on and to both of you congratulations.
04:46 Amazing look by the way we're going to have a look at the entire line later on but first I want to
04:51 ask because we do know that local brands are very keen in preserving traditional culture in all of
04:58 our collections and designs so tell me a little bit about how Kasu maintains its identity because
05:04 we know that sustainability is part of its identity right? Right so definitely first and
05:08 foremost thank you very much Paul for having both of us here again I think it's no competition
05:12 because we've seen a lot of local brands right now that portrays or have the identity of wearing
05:18 traditional heritage of the wastra in their collection part of their collection just like
05:22 Kasu that where you're wearing but what we have to maintain right now as a local brand and also
05:28 as a designer or a brand owner is we have to collaborate I think the way that we can support
05:33 each other to kind of convey how modern we are we can we can shape or we can design contemporary
05:38 design but still elevate the Indonesian tradition that's collectively it's our work together but we
05:44 can't compete with other regions such as such as Southeast Asia region I think the most predominant
05:49 Southeast Asian country that has a very unique culture I would say would be Thailand because
05:55 they're very different I mean if you talk about Malaysia I think it's similar to Indonesia also
05:59 I mean Singapore is very modern and you know their kind of designs and whatnot they're very still
06:04 they have that clean chic design but for Thailand I think they still have that deep culture tradition
06:10 that they like to convey in their designs. Very much so and that's the first thing I thought of
06:13 when I saw the design especially like Caroline was talking about this the stitching and on each
06:18 of the pieces which are all very unique the first thing I thought of that's very it's got our
06:23 identity I can't explain it any any more than that so we recently saw some coverage from the
06:28 collaboration with Ladress can you tell us more about the collaboration with Ladress last month?
06:33 Yes we participated with Ladress and Indonesian government in this case Lambasat Indonesia
06:39 at the premier class event in Paris this month and the event is start from 1st of March until 4th
06:47 of March and that event we met several buyers from various countries and also we have special
06:54 figure that came into our area is a speaker a house speaker of representative council of Indonesia
07:03 Mrs. Puan Maharani and also Indonesian ambassador to France Mr. Muhammad Umar and Ibu Dewi Umar.
07:11 Wow and what was their feedback like when they saw your designs? Yeah they like it.
07:16 It was just monumental especially for us adding to what Karisma said because
07:20 Ibu Puan Maharani was there to attend an international it was international women's
07:25 day. Oh that's right. So she was there for a conference alongside with French president.
07:30 Women's speaker summit. That's right. Yes that's right I remember that. You see the picture with
07:35 Mr. Makong right there. Yes. And it's just she was there like a day before her conference and
07:40 then she wore a costume it is such an honor for us too. Wow that's so cool well off to a great
07:46 start indeed. But for you guys the story didn't actually start here I mean you guys go way back
07:52 you actually are friends so tell us how this became Karisma. How did this all come? Yeah Karisma share
07:58 the story with us. Okay so yeah Karisma actually from our name. Yes. Karisma and Surahman. So we
08:06 just hang out together in my place and we talk about our brand we talk about business and actually
08:13 before I already have my own brand and Caroline has it too. Right. So we're just thinking why don't
08:19 we make uh why don't we collaborate together to make a new brand and so yeah here it is Kasi.
08:25 Okay so then that goes back to your first answer then in regards to collaboration the idea of this
08:29 brand itself is a collaboration between the two of you and then you now chose to collaborate with
08:34 others as well. Now you mentioned earlier before we came on air and I'd like you to explain to our
08:39 viewers there's upcycling processes when it comes to this particular designs. So can you explain a
08:46 little bit about it? Well in regards of I'm going to talk about one part the wastra that we're using
08:51 right now is from the island of Java. The upcycle comes from Karisma's idea by the way. Yeah. So Karisma
08:56 share with us. Yeah we use upcycle wastra fabric. Okay. So for the first collection we use a wastra
09:04 from Java it's called batik. So we use this batik into a patches and we apply to our blazer and also
09:14 uh. The unique about this. Yes. Because um the the upcycle part is the unused or scrapped. Yeah. So
09:22 these are. So these are from materials that have been thrown away. Yeah. Yeah. Unused. Yeah. That
09:27 is why it's called an upcycle right now. Okay. And all of the placement is different. Yes. Yeah. So
09:35 so we're talking about this as well that every piece is unique. There's no two pieces that are.
09:39 Yeah. Yeah. Like you're wearing right now. Right. The only one that has is you. One of one. Yeah.
09:43 So yeah get a close look. And you mentioned something unique about all the buttons as well
09:47 on this. It's got your name on it. Yes. But it's also upcycled material. It is a recycled. Recycled
09:53 material. Okay. It's a plastic waste recycled to make into a customized kasu buttons. Really and
10:00 this is done locally as well. It is locally. Yeah. So we're working together with a company that is
10:05 based in Bali in which they ventured of trying to recycle all plastics from the regions of Indonesia
10:11 and also you know from parts near of Asia. And then they recycle. Usually they make furniture
10:16 and whatnot. But now they're going to fashion industry and making these buttons too. And.
10:20 Right. Thankfully alhamdulillah that kasu is a part of it too. Yeah. I mean I can see that this is
10:25 like something like buttons. I mean they're going to be used plenty in all different designs and
10:28 clothings as well. Now you earlier touched on the wastra Indonesia. The patterns that are combined
10:34 with wastra Indonesia. So what was the idea behind that? How did you guys come up with this idea? Tell
10:39 us the story behind it. Yeah because we really because we are two women that is in the modern
10:43 society. I mean Karisna lives now for almost two years in Paris. And you know she has business
10:48 there also. I have my family. I reside also in the United States. It seems that we're in this day and
10:55 age right now people are always going abroad. But we want to keep that our identity as Indonesian.
11:00 And that's what we like to portray in our brand and also in our design. As of right now what Karisma
11:04 and also I chose the batik from Java. I mean the wastra batik from Java. It's just because people
11:10 are so known with batik. Right. If you choose another wastra from any other places that they're
11:16 not aware of. They probably don't think it's a wastra or Indonesian traditional design. It could
11:20 just be you know it's something that is placing right there in our design. So we just want to make
11:25 sure this is something that's very common. People know batik. It's identifiable right? That's right.
11:30 But you know inshallah later on we are very committed of using all wastra from 34 provinces.
11:37 And also there's all sub-regions. There are districts. And what we would like to cater on
11:41 these wastra not only placing them in our collection and design. But we want to share
11:45 the story of the community. Okay. Let's say if we're talking about you know places that's near the
11:50 ocean or you know other village near the ocean. We want to tell the story about what the community does
11:55 in their daily lives. So in our each collection we will tell a story of that place. So it's like a
12:00 history book of Indonesia but made into a fashion design. It's like when your clothes are a
12:05 conversation piece. It just makes it that much more interesting right? And so I guess this is
12:09 your signature. Yes. This will be the signature. Yeah it will always be a part. Yeah it's our DNA. All right.
12:13 Now you did mention that all these pieces are different and we do have more pieces over there.
12:17 Could you go through them and see what we have? I'm going to stand up just a little bit here. I'm not
12:22 okay. Is it better that I'm here? Is it here? Yeah perfect. Okay. So if you see I'm going to take this
12:27 one. This is also one of our best collection. This is in the color olive. It's right here in the
12:33 pocket area. And which is so cool about this when if you put it down like this. If you fold it it'll
12:39 be just one. You see that? Nice. So we try to also implement like the design to make it more versatile.
12:45 And also the placing as just mentioned by Karisma. And we did this hand stitch by the way. So it's in
12:51 different areas. We have the ones right here in your shoulder. And you have one also if you can
12:55 see right here. I love that one. That was my favorite. This one. Yeah. This is my favorite. And what we like to
13:00 come. We like to convey right here is you still have that contemporary look. But there are still
13:06 that Western Indonesian traditional Indonesian design there. But it's not over you know kind of
13:11 overlook the design. Yeah. And I can see it's like an oversized suit. It's very modern. I was gonna say
13:16 because it's got that very unique look where it's got that loose fit. Yeah. But it's still you can
13:21 pull off like going to a formal event. Yes. But most importantly you're going to stick out in the
13:25 crowd a little bit. Because of you know if many people are dressed up in something similar. It's
13:30 your signature that's going to kind of identify this as a certain look. This is from Kasu. I mean can
13:35 you imagine you let's say Paul and also Karisma walking from you know taking the MRT or you know
13:41 you're just going around and about at SJBD area. The central area. Just walking. Yeah. From your
13:46 you know from your office going to lunch. Certainly a head turner. Yeah. So let's talk a little bit
13:51 about how Indonesian brands we do know have been growing very rapidly especially post-pandemic as
13:56 well. What do you think the key is for Indonesian brands such as yourself to succeed in a larger
14:02 scale like a global market? Well I would say that with us founded Akasu I think we need to have that
14:10 identity right. What would you like to tell and what would you like to tell the story through
14:14 your design. Because as of right now even Indonesia has a lot of designers and also local brands.
14:19 But again as I said before previously it's not about competing with each other because there's
14:23 a lot of a lot of kick to share. Yeah. So then it's like what you like to sell the story and
14:29 what design that you have when someone use it and someone is attracted to it so that it means that
14:34 they get our story. They got our look. And I think again as I said everyone should have a definition
14:39 of their own you know fashion sense. Okay. And you know these designs are made specifically for women
14:45 but me I don't mind at all wearing women's clothes because I think it is a great look.
14:50 Nevertheless though you are having this larger goal of empowering women especially in your
14:57 communities as well. How do you do that through Akasu? Yeah first of all we can talk about that
15:03 right that we're working with the women. Yes for the packaging too right. Yeah we collaborate with
15:10 empowerment for our packaging. Oh okay. So it's uh you have women in local communities that do
15:17 all the packaging as well? For make our box and packaging. Really? Okay and how is this
15:23 unlike on a larger scale how is this going to impact them in their communities? It definitely
15:28 will be because again they're not only working with Kasu or partnering with Kasu they're also
15:33 partnering with other brands and I think the way that we see these villages women there in the rural
15:38 areas and when they know that they're a part of a of a bigger avenue just like like a fashion brand
15:45 it meant something for them. Sense of belonging. Exactly. So this is not only Kasu between Karisma
15:50 and I but this is also tapping on to everyone that we're partnership with. Okay let's talk a little
15:54 bit about designs like between the two of you I mean where who is the brains behind the design and
16:00 how do you come up with the ideas? You both do it together? Yeah. Okay how do you guys kind of
16:05 brainstorm your ideas? Well we like the same look. Yeah. Okay. Oh so you generally like the same fashion style?
16:11 Okay. We like the minimalism of the clothes. Yeah. Okay. But again I think because Karisma and I were two
16:18 different people but Karisma likes to wear some sometimes she likes something like very monotone
16:24 but sometimes she can rock. Yeah. A very bright color. Yeah. Right? You can but you can never see I don't
16:29 think you will ever see me in that kind. So we have this two individuals with two different characters
16:34 and we blend it into one. Yes. Okay and how do you come up with the how did you come up with the ideas
16:39 where we need to like incorporate upcycled materials or recycled materials into our design
16:45 like how did you guys come up with the idea to begin with? I think we come up with the idea because we want
16:50 to tap on sustainability. Yes. Our responsibility to sustain the environment and that is why we did
16:56 the recycling we did a research on it and thankfully there is one that can really do partner
17:02 and can make the customized button for us for the upcycle because we know fashion is an industry
17:08 that produce a lot of waste. It does. And this is only a very small fraction that we're doing. We hope
17:14 to the future that we can do more but this is what we can do right now. Yes. We are just established
17:20 two months. Yeah. Two months. Yeah. It's a thousand. Yeah. We already talked about this late 2023. Right.
17:27 We've kind of introduced this to our fashion industry just two months ago before we went to
17:33 the class. So I think we still have to do a lot of research and whatnot but I know for sure
17:38 Karisma and I are very committed. We're very determined to kind of be a part of in this
17:43 industry and to tell a story about Indonesia because what differentiate KASU with an other
17:48 brand please correct me if I'm wrong because it's like right now the pace is really fast in fashion
17:53 industry but we are a slow fashion definitely. Yes. For KASU. Yes. Because we take time to kind of
17:59 tell us a story. We take time for the watch strap itself which watch strap that we're going to use
18:03 for our next collection. So it's like a it's like a storybook. And I would say the designs are
18:08 are classical and timeless as well. Like it's not going to go out of style as well. Right. What are
18:12 your hopes Karisma for KASU in the future? Yeah we hope KASU from local to global. Wow.
18:21 Man it's only been three months but hey we're going global. I love it. I love it. You gotta have that big goal in
18:27 mind right. Yeah. And we're attending the premier class again. Yeah. In September. At the second station right.
18:32 This year again. No yeah this year in September. So you'll be releasing a new collection? Yes.
18:37 Are you gonna help us? Any idea? Oh I definitely will. Count me in. Guys thank you so much for coming
18:41 on and congratulations on this latest venture. We wish nothing but success for the both of you and
18:47 KASU in the near and extended future as well. Thank you very much Paul. Thank you. Chatting with you by the way.
18:52 Nice to meet you. It's so different in this side of the pond by the way. All right we gotta take another
18:56 short break here you guys but in case you joined us a little bit late don't worry we have more news
19:00 for you coming up after this. Stay with us.
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