Fashion is a constantly changing mix of trends and depending on where one is located, they dress to match the environment. Different cultures give rise to distinct patterns and unsurprisingly, culture — be it national, lifestyle or ideological — has created a huge impact on the purchase of clothing. Today there are numerous varieties of fabric, apparel and accessories such that the opportunities for growth are innumerable.
I happen to know one particular person who is highly engrossed in the ethnic cultures of Sarawak to the extent that he has incorporated it into his fashion. The first time we met was in Kuala Lumpur during the 2016 Malaysia Fashion Week (MFW 2016) By STYLO. It was on a runway at the former Matrade Centre that we first came face to face with his work. I was then one of the judges for an emerging designers’ competition and was proud that a young Sarawakian was being showcased at the event.
As the models strutted down the long catwalk in his collection branded under Lentara Astana, one could observe that the attention of fashion editors and international buyers was being caught by the bright motifs incorporated into contemporary wear. Suffice to say, it was original and incomparable to others. It was Sarawak showing its heritage in fashion, much like two sides of a coin: fashion and culture!
What was the outcome of that show at MFW 2016?
His brand received an order from Australia for several pieces of one particular design, a cape bearing ethnic motifs. Christopher Anthony Ikus of Lentara Astana is a passionate fashion designer and has since 2012 manifested ideas that some might doubt as being too cultural for taste. Originally from Kanowit, the youthful-looking Iban is evidently obsessed with using traditional motifs that reflect our region’s history and identity.
The pua kumbu is a hand-woven wrap ikat textile of the Iban community and of great significance to their traditional lifestyles and legends. That aside, he also wields the popular tribal motifs of the Orang Ulu.
Christopher, in his reply to my question on using original pua kumbu, explained that it would be too costly to use the actual hand loomed pieces. These days, replicas of these ancient motifs are now reproducible in cotton and other textiles readily available in Kuching.
With no foundation in fashion design, Christopher is entirely self-taught. Nonetheless, his talent is unquestionable based on the samples of his sketches shown to me at the studio in Lee Ling, Matang. Even the key skills of tailoring and hand-stitching were studied by Christopher through Youtube videos. Emphasizing that his work is always formed from scratch, he shows me the refined hand stitching of a gown. His pieces are mainly made to order and depending on the client’s demands, they can be quite elaborate indeed.
The fashion industry is terribly competitive and has grown massively due to the crowd sizes and number of fashion schools popping up everywhere. Fashion is easily and quickly copied nowadays. This change of pace in production and competition has brought problems for it is the second most pollutive industry to the environment, causing loss of value and wastage. How does Christopher see himself in this industry?
Firstly, he stresses that none of his clothing is mass produced. They are individually made to fit his customers. The designs are one of a kind and you can still wear them years later, hence one does not have to buy many and dispose constantly, cutting down on pollution. He will continue to design clothes that epitomise unique designs from Sarawak and stick to the use of better quality instead of harmful materials.
Besides being a fashion designer, Christopher boasts over a decade of experience in makeup artistry, holds several accolades for achievements in the make-up and fashion industry, including placing among the top 15 in the ‘Wedding Planner and Bridal Couture Awards’, and became the winner in many make-up and designing competitions.
He has also been a judge for local and national competitions in makeup and fashion design, including the Malaysia Songket Fashion Awards 2017 held at Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur.
His studio, Lentara Astana, is located on Level 1 of Lot 9667, Taman Lee Ling Commercial Centre, along Jalan Matang in Kuching. Besides fashion design, it provides costumes for weddings and fashion shows as well as commercial photo shooting and makeup services. – By Vicky Fong
