INDONESIA - FASHION - Indonesia Set to Become Islamic Fashion Capital by 2020

www.thejakartaglobe.com - The Industry Ministry is hoping to turn Indonesia into an Islamic fashion capital by 2020, and is looking to Europe as its main export market in the future.

Euis Saedah, the The Industry Ministry’s director general for small- and medium-scale industries said on Tuesday that Islamic clothing made by Indonesian designers has garnered widespread enthusiasm, citing an abundance of orders and interest from foreign buyers following last year’s International Islamic Fashion Fair in Jakarta.

Euis said Indonesia’s modern, middle-class Muslims have fueled innovations and creativity in Islamic fashion.  (source)


“Our Muslim clothing has drawn interests from other countries,” Euis said during the opening of the Muslim Fashion Products exhibition in Jakarta on Tuesday. “Indonesia’s Muslim fashion industry will soon expand its market in Asia, including Thailand and Malaysia, as well as to several European countries, such as Britain, France and Turkey.”

Euis said Europe in particular represented a vast potential market for Indonesian-designed Muslim wear, and cited an annual $150 million worth of business in Britain’s Islamic fashion industry alone.

“The sales of Islamic outfits in Europe, meanwhile, have reached $1.5 billion per year, [as] the number of Muslims there total 16 million.”

Euis added that Thailand offered to partner with Indonesia, especially in marketing the country's products to Europe.

“The Thai people say they have access to Europe and better advertising,” Euis said.

She also added the government hopes Indonesia will morph into a global capital for Islamic fashion by 2020; business leaders are targeting a 7 percent increase of exported products by 2025.

The Muslim Fashion Products exhibition is set to run for four days, and is organized by the Industry Ministry ahead of “The 3rd Muslim World Biz” which Indonesia will host from Sep. 12 to 16.

The event is expected to draw participants from members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Antara

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/indonesia-set-to-become-islamic-fashion-capital-by-2020/534121  - July 31, 2012