IMAJI Studio

Text: Try Sutrisno

A few of the many beautiful traits of Indonesia are its cultural diversity and rich heritage. For many, Indonesia is a treasure box that can be explored endlessly. Each island has its own tradition, language, custom and of course craftsmanship. This brings three passionate individuals to look for these hidden gems and create wearable clothes that carry Indonesia's exuberant culture.

In 2015, after two years long of exploring their homeland treasure box, Shari Semesta, Lyric Alvina and Leo Pradana established a line of vibrant easy-to-wear clothes that are made of naturally dyed fabrics. "IMAJI Studio is here to create fabric art. Besides exploring technique on natural dye, we also want to be the voice of local fabric artisans and give them an insight on fair and ethical trade," said Shari Semesta on the interview. Though all of them have zero background in fashion, they all have their nurtured eyes for design, library of knowledge in Indonesian textile and strong passion for good-natured business, and they feel that these are enough to start IMAJI Studio. "It is a life style brand after all. Not fashion," declared Semesta.

IMAJI Studio fabrics reflects Indonesia's diverse culture with its loud color and buoyant motifs – a piece of cloth can consist of three to four shades – and balance them with simple construction and timeless silhouette to keep their pieces wearable, staying true to their lifestyle ethos. What makes their fabric even more unusual is the one-of-a-kind nature each of their fabrics has due to its hand-dyeing process. Their eccentric and colorful patterns are never exactly the same though they bear resemblance to each other. "Our motifs are all handmade by our artisans, making each of the clothes one of a kind. We use all kinds of things such as airbrush, sponges, brushes, even mixing shibori techniques with other media. So, it's fabric art.

Semesta, Alvina and Pradana also bring their other interest into their line. For their latest collection – a collaboration with local's biggest music festival, WeTheFest, illustrator Aditya Widjanarko, and hand-embroidery artists, Putri Setyarini from Cub Club – IMAJI Studio creates a playful collection of outerwear with hand-embroidered illustration on each piece. This collection was hugely inspired by a mixture of people that attend the local music festival. "To compliment these pieces, we made basic motifs on basic unisex shirt silhouette, crop top, and a skirt. All the fabric is chosen to withstand the festival's heat so the ones wearing them still feel comfortable."

Besides creating a more unique approach in building their collection, part of these collaborations is also to attract more diverse customers. For Semesta, Alvina and Pradana it is very important that their pieces can be worn with different types of individual. "What we love is the diversity of the market, from younger people wearing our crop tops to older people wearing our kimono. It is basically for everyone who appreciates fabric or art."

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