Although it is not the same as Harajuku in Tokyo, Citayam fashion week as we can call it then Harajuku of Jakarta. There are similar things, for example, their lifestyle to the millennial generation; the clothes worn are unique and distinctive, and the actions are also typical of the contemporary youth. But the most positive thing is the birth of creativity from the periphery generation, just like in Harajuku
The Citayam Fashion Week has been a public discourse in the town in the last few weeks. It was all started by teenagers from the Jakarta outskirt of Citayam who converted the Sudirman Station area in Central Jakarta into a fresh place to chill out like Blok M in South Jakarta in the 1990s.
Those teenagers became internet sensations after staging amateur fashion shows on the street catwalk in the busy area. More and more youngsters from several towns in neighboring West Java and Banten have come to the new meeting point thanks to the integrated transport system in Greater Jakarta.
They turned a pedestrian crossing on Jalan Sudirman into a fashion catwalk and received a significant boost after several professional models recently joined those unknown talents in the show.
At one point, top politicians like Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil also were seen walking across the makeshift catwalk in fancy dresses.
These young people are very good at exploiting social media and the Citayam Fashion Show is getting popularity that attracting attendants from other places.
But the new social media sensation is not without controversy.
The Central Jakarta Police said the street catwalk violates traffic regulations on a pedestrian crossing and they consider banning the event if it causes serious traffic disturbance or endangers public safety.
The DKI Culture Service (Disbud) assesses that the impromptu fashion show event for young people known as “Sudirman Citayam Bojonggede Depok” (SCBD) needs guidance to be more focused.
“Providing education, providing an understanding that the third room must be made in such a way that they are comfortable,” said Head of the DKI Culture Office Iwan Henry Wardhana in Jakarta, Tuesday, July 19.
