Uniek Dyah Safira, a student from Faculty of Economics and Business UNSOED 2019, get top 20 in the Indonesian Fashion Design Competition (IFDC). Entering the top 20 is an outstanding achievement, especially since the first IFDC design event that Uniek participated in. “When I saw the pamphlet (the competition), I wanted to join this, and I felt challenged. Well, I tried, and the tools were still straightforward then. It still uses the paint on the laptop. It’s straightforward,” said the student majoring in Economics and Development Studies (IESP).

IFDC 2022, which raises about wastra (as traditional Indonesian fabrics are called), will surely make most designers focus on Indonesian characteristics by designing kebaya models and the like. However, Uniek combines wastra with a gothic theme that focuses more on black and dark colors. “That’s why I combined this Gothic with ethnic elements. So, what I brought was ethnic-gothic, it had striations, and it was gothic, from black, I used black, red and white,” she explained. She said it was part of his concept strategy.

Uniek did not escape the obstacles in preparation. The division of time becomes more difficult for Uniek because he previously also underwent KKN, internships, and lectures. The tight preparation for the competition in Jakarta made Uniek’s luggage in the form of a hanger left behind. “Well, whether you want it or not, I’ll borrow it. Luckily, the committee wanted to borrow it, so it turned out that when I was curating, they all used hangers, right,” he said. Regarding the problem, Uniek admitted that he could not participate in the event until the end because he had other work in Purwokerto.

Uniek admits that she has loved the world of design since childhood. From kindergarten, she said she loved to draw and color. The positive response was shown by the people around Uniek, thus making her more enthusiastic and pursuing fashion design. “Until the end, yes, the decision was made; I took the Vocational High School majoring in Fashion,” she said. Even though at SMK Uniek, she wasn’t too serious about studying design because of his busy organization, she still held on to her dream of becoming a designer until she started to focus and work on designing fashion during her college days. “After the organization in January, I just focused on (design),” he admitted.

For initial funding, Uniek has prepared its funds to go to Jakarta after being declared to have passed the top 20. However, after contacting and coordinating with the faculty, mainly Deputy Dean 3, the financing was carried out by the faculty. “From the time I left, lived there and until I got home, it helped me,” he said honestly. Uniek said it would develop and participate in similar events in the future. He wants to make every competition he participates in a means of self-evaluation. Furthermore, Uniek intends to turn his design hobby into a serious business. As for the form of business, he is honest if he is still thinking about it even though he already has an idea.

(Author : Puput , Titis ; Reporter : Yuli, Wihelni)

Figure 1. Uniek Dyah Safira with the model
Figure 2. Uniek Dyah Safira with the model