Hijab or Jibaab is known as one of the most basic requirements for Islamic ladies. It has been a long time that hijab had been defined as a symbol of strict and conservative religious belief. Yet there is a significant phenomenon recently emerging in Indonesia showing the new expression against this social perception.
“My motivation in fashion was because I felt Muslim clothing in Indonesia was so conservative. I found that most of them are mainly abayas (a pattern of robe-like Islamic dress) with macrobiotic colours so I started wearing my own design so people can get the idea of my b reakthrough fashion,’ said Dian Pelangi who was invited as one of speakers in the panel. She is a ground-breaking fashion designer and a 24-year-old blogebrity on many social networks among ladies in Muslim countries.
“I’m currently a big part of my family business called Dian Pelangi. It was founded by my parents 23 years ago and the label was established since I was born. However, back then, most of Dian Pelangi’s products were abayas and batik shirts from silk materials with conservative design so I decided to change it. In the earlier age of my career as a fashion designer for my family’s label, I started blogging about my fashion because I loved styling as well. At first even my parents didn’t agree with my designs because they’re afraid that people wouldn’t accept them. But after couples of months, it gained popularity more than the previous design and became nationwide known in Indonesia.”
Cumulated as a guarantee of her success, the young Indonesian fashionista received widely recognitions from the media as well as governmental organisations. Since 2008, she has been invited to perform her fashion show internationally. The Melbourne Islamic Eid Festival in Australia was the first catwalk she introduced herself and the avant-garde costume design to the public globally. CNN was one of the media who could not help yearn for interviewing her and publicised her story on a TV scoop. On a part of the interview, this young Islamic fashionista strongly emphasised on her idea to compromise modern fashion with religious tradition. ‘Islam has rules for the fashion design like not too tight, too bright or too transparent. But we’re in Indonesia now not in the Middle East where female attires might be too extreme. I want to be something different – breaking the rules yet still on the line. You just need to mix the faith in Islam with the fashion.”
When her brand was promoted broadly, Dian Pelangi has thrived in the market and expanded her brands into DP Bride, DP Men, DP kids or even DP Hajj especially meant for the pilgrimage uniforms. With her chic look with colourful yet snazzy hijabs, Dian Pelangi has become a widely Influential icon for Islamic fashion. The brand’s upcoming collections have kept updating on her social media namely Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Later on, she also has turned into the main model of her own brand and later became the ambassador of Dian Pelangi and an iconic public figure on social media.
“Through my brand, Dian Pelangi, I’m trying to stop the stereotype that goes into most of the Muslima portraying conservative image of women who always wear traditional hijab. I’ve created a playful Muslim fashion with a twist of Indonesian fabrics and motifs so I can present various facets of Indonesian culture through my fashion brand. For me, fashion is a form of beauty. It’s about how we mix and match colours and materials. One of an Islamic teaching states that God is beautiful and loves the beauty. That’s how I mix faith with fashion and I want Muslim women to be able to cover certain parts of their body but also fashionable and beautiful providing a good image of Muslimism from what I’m good at. I’m grateful that people who agree with my opinion start to create Hijabee Community in Indonesia representing the Muslim women image with finesse and brain.”
