EXPERIENCE INCREDIBLE INDONESIA THROUGH INDONESIAN FESTIVAL OTTAWA #INDOFESTOTTAWA AND INDONESIAN FASHION OTTAWA
Indonesian Festival Ottawa, Canada – If I had to sum our very memorable trip to Indonesia, it would be incredible. Even then, I wish I could find a more spectacular word to capture how fascinating Indonesia is with its majestic beaches and landscape and rich culture and tradition. The 2018 Indonesian Festival Ottawa certainly brought me back to our time in Bali, where we spent weeks in the Ubud area during a Yoga Retreat with Adishesha Yoga.
#IndoFestOttawa Photos by Alan Wainwright of Alan Wainwright Photography / @20YS.
This year’s theme of Indonesian Fashion in Ottawa is not only up our Twenty York Street’s alley (pun intended, of course!) but it certainly opened up to a world of Indonesian Haute Couture collection. From stunning Batik attires to lush and intricately designed bags and attractive accessories, each piece was a display of Indonesia’s rich heritage in modern fashion design, with a nod to age-old tradition.
We were so pleased to have been invited by KBRI Ottawa – Indonesian Embassy to the opening night of a 3-day (July 27-29) extravaganza, which aimed to highlight Indonesian Fashion, Food and Culture at the Horticulture Building in Lansdowne Park. As the #IndoFestOttawa Opening Party was an Invitation Only event to meet sponsors, vendors, fashion bloggers and influencers and fashion boutiques and Indonesia’s top designers, the Twenty York Street Team was truly honoured as we were not only warmly welcomed but we had a special place in the front row to experience Indonesian Fashion at its best!
#IndoFestOttawa Photos by Alan Wainwright of Alan Wainwright Photography / @20YS.
The evening was well-attended by key members of the Indonesian-Canadian community along with dignitaries and members of the Ottawa Diplomatic Corps, such as H.E. Mr. and Mrs. Kenjiro Monji, Japanese Ambassador to Canada and consular officials from the embassies of Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and more. To officially launch the weekend of festivities, His Excellency Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia Dr. Teuku Faizasyah was joined by His Worship Mayor of City of Ottawa Hon. Jim Watson, who was, in fact, celebrating his birthday that evening. Together, they sounded the gong to officially mark the 2018 Indonesian Festival Ottawa open!
Watch sneak peeks of the 2018 Indonesian Festival Ottawa here, here and here.
INDONESIA’S DIVERSE CULTURE ON THE RUNWAY
A true visual treat, the Indonesian Fashion in Ottawa runway show was a colourful display of Indonesia’s rich and diverse heritage in modern and traditional fashion design. Some were presented in ready-to-wear collections by independent designers and upcoming designers from various fashion institutes and others were haute couture by Indonesia’s top designers. Each original design was beautifully and expertly modelled by Angie’s AMTI models.
AUTHENTIC CULTURAL PERFORMANCES FROM DIFFERENT REGIONS OF INDONESIA
In addition to the stunning display of world class fashion full of vibrant colors, traditional fabrics, daring designs and classy couture, authentic Indonesian cultural performances captivated the audience.
I personally immensely enjoyed the cultural performances as each song and dance was authentically and seamlessly delivered by such experienced performers. Of course, I was born in the Philippines (though I was mistaken for an Indonesian all night!), another country with a deep sense of history, tradition and culture embedded right into the fabric of the Filipino society, including its song and dance.
Below is the list of world class fashion designers and cultural performances that graced the stage at the Opening Night of Indonesian Festival Ottawa.
FEATURED FASHION DESIGNERS
- Joko Ssp Solo by Djoko Boedi Santosa
- Clo by Coreta Indonesia – Indonesian Fashion Gallery New York
- Sekar Kedaton – Indonesian Fashion Gallery New York
- Entin by Entin Gartini
- Amdiskastara Bali
- H2 Fashion by Handy Hartono
For more photos of the 2018 Indonesian Festival Ottawa and Indonesian Fashion in Ottawa, visit here, here and here.
CULTURAL PERFORMANCES: CULTURAL DANCE AND SONG
- Umbrella Dance by Dharma Wanita Persatuan Indonesia Ottawa
- Saman Dance by Indonesian Students Association Ottawa
- Nusantara Dance by Mr. Eko Nurcahyo & Mr. Wisnu Aji
- “Indonesia Jaya” by Mrs. Ririn Astari
- “Aku Papua” by Papua’s students in Toronto
A FEAST OF DELECTABLE DISHES AN EXOTIC FLAVOURS
Since #IndoFestOttawa is a grand festival that aims to showcase the rich culture of Indonesia in two main highlights: Fashion Festival and Food Festival, the weekend wouldn’t be complete without scrumptious cuisine and exquisite menus. This truly was a testament that #Indonesia is more than just its island paradise #Bali.
#IndoFestOttawa Photos by Alan Wainwright of Alan Wainwright Photography / @20YS.
INDONESIAN FESTIVAL OTTAWA ALSO A CULINARY FEAST
This South East Asian archipelago is rich with history and culture and this is reflected in their diverse and authentic Indonesian cuisine. Like most South East Asian cuisine, Indonesian cooking is always a delicate balance of savoury, sweet, sour, and spicy flavours, using only the freshest of ingredients. And almost always, accompanied by either rice or noodles, of course.
Though I have not been physically transported back to Bali (where I would go back in a heartbeat), we did experience the absolutely Incredible Indonesia in such a delectable, visual and memorable way, through #IndoFestOttawa and Indonesian Fashion Ottawa.
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Special Thanks to Madame Richieka Shine, Economic Affairs Officer at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia for facilitating our invitation. And big thank you to the @20YS Team for the great media coverage: Alan Wainwright, Marilyn Timog, Jinkai Chang and Phoenix Yu.
Sunnies from the new 2018 summer collection at Le Chateau, Coat from ZARA.
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