A pedestrian crossing turned viral catwalk has become a site for Jakarta’s young fashionistas to express themselves while attracting the disapproval of police in the traffic-clogged Indonesian capital.
The informal downtown gathering has drawn sartorial adventurists from across the suburbs of the metropolis, including from Citayam, leading it to be dubbed “Citayam Fashion Week.”
With their poses and struts being shared on TikTok and Instagram, some Citayam pioneers have found instant fame, earning modeling jobs, endorsements and an army of adoring fans.
Photo: AFP
“I feel like this is the place where I can express my style and create content. It is so much fun because there are so many people and I can meet new friends here. I don’t even want to go home,” 18-year-old student Ricat al-Fendri told reporters.
He and some friends had taken a morning train to the central meeting spot, tucked between sleek skyscrapers and trendy cafes, to flaunt their outfits for the day.
Police, who previously moved to ban the use of the crosswalk as a runway, now regularly shout through a loudspeaker to ward the crowd off the street.
However, that does not deter girls who don wide-legged jeans and colorful sunglasses — and boys in leather jackets, stylish sneakers and faux-fur coats — from filming their struts for social media.
Some of the more enthusiastic teenagers have been caught sleeping on the area’s sidewalks at night after missing the last train home.
“We have the right to hang out here. It’s a public space and for me, it’s a great stress reliever from school exams,” al-Fendri said.
The outfits on display have begun to draw crowds, with news of the phenomenon spreading by word of mouth in the megacity of 30 million people.
Saera Wulan Sari, a 15-year-old school dropout from North Jakarta who makes a living selling clams, comes to watch the crowds with her friends.
“I am always amazed by other people’s outfits, they are so much cooler than me and their clothes are very stylish,” Sari said.
The gathering has been likened to a smaller version of Tokyo’s famed Harajuku fashion district.
The movement has become so popular that copycat gatherings have spread elsewhere in Java — Indonesia’s most populous island — in cities such as Semarang and Bandung.
And its viral fame has attracted attention from celebrities and influencers, as well as public officials including Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who said young people should be able to express themselves creatively.
Local brands are now starting to take note and capitalize on the momentum by advertising their products and endorsing the “stars” of the movement, providing free clothes, shoes and publicity.
“Teenagers are searching for their identity and they need recognition and validation. These teens saw that the quick and easy way to earn them is through likes and shares,” said Devie Rahmawati, a social affairs expert from the University of Indonesia. “Marginalized teenagers used to resort to violence or illegal racing, now they choose fashion instead. This is a positive thing and I think it’s beautiful.”
For many, the booming street fashion scene has also become an affordable arena for fashionable experimentation, set against the backdrop of the city’s most affluent district.
Teenagers from poor households who cannot afford designer outfits can join the gathering without judgement, said Khairul Badmi, a 22-year-old aspiring actor. “To be a part of Citayam Fashion Week, you don’t have to wear certain outfits or brands that empty your wallet.”
Former Nicaraguan president Violeta Chamorro, who brought peace to Nicaragua after years of war and was the first woman elected president in the Americas, died on Saturday at the age of 95, her family said. Chamorro, who ruled the poor Central American country from 1990 to 1997, “died in peace, surrounded by the affection and love of her children,” said a statement issued by her four children. As president, Chamorro ended a civil war that had raged for much of the 1980s as US-backed rebels known as the “Contras” fought the leftist Sandinista government. That conflict made Nicaragua one of
COMPETITION: The US and Russia make up about 90 percent of the world stockpile and are adding new versions, while China’s nuclear force is steadily rising, SIPRI said Most of the world’s nuclear-armed states continued to modernize their arsenals last year, setting the stage for a new nuclear arms race, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said yesterday. Nuclear powers including the US and Russia — which account for about 90 percent of the world’s stockpile — had spent time last year “upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions,” researchers said. Since the end of the Cold War, old warheads have generally been dismantled quicker than new ones have been deployed, resulting in a decrease in the overall number of warheads. However, SIPRI said that the trend was likely
BOMBARDMENT: Moscow sent more than 440 drones and 32 missiles, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, in ‘one of the most terrifying strikes’ on the capital in recent months A nighttime Russian missile and drone bombardment of Ukraine killed at least 15 people and injured 116 while they slept in their homes, local officials said yesterday, with the main barrage centering on the capital, Kyiv. Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said 14 people were killed and 99 were injured as explosions echoed across the city for hours during the night. The bombardment demolished a nine-story residential building, destroying dozens of apartments. Emergency workers were at the scene to rescue people from under the rubble. Russia flung more than 440 drones and 32 missiles at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy
Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki yesterday erupted again with giant ash and smoke plumes after forcing evacuations of villages and flight cancelations, including to and from the resort island of Bali. Several eruptions sent ash up to 5km into the sky on Tuesday evening to yesterday afternoon. An eruption on Tuesday afternoon sent thick, gray clouds 10km into the sky that expanded into a mushroom-shaped ash cloud visible as much as 150km kilometers away. The eruption alert was raised on Tuesday to the highest level and the danger zone where people are recommended to leave was expanded to 8km from the crater. Officers also
RSS