It's called a fashion invasion

Day 2 of our stay in Surabaya for Asian Fashion Week and we cannot stress enough how much we love this city! Surabayans are by far the friendliest, most hospitable people we have ever come across and we have travelled to almost every corner of the globe, so that's saying a lot!

We are already making plans for a return visit to really check out all the sights and do some serious shopping. Think Jakarta but clean, un-crowded, and safe! It's a total win in our eyes, especially since Royal Brunei Airlines flies direct here and you don’t have to suffer that annoying transit time in KL.

The entire city has been taken over by Asian Fashion Week, and in between the preparation for Maricel Pamintuans show, and watching the other countries fashion shows, we've been doing some pretty cool things, like going to the Independence Day ceremony at Surabaya Town Hall, playing some random intercultural games (eating a giant fried cracker off a string for time, anyone?) and partying on afterwards at a private lunch banquet with the Mayor of Surabaya afterwards.

We've been really impressed with the fashion we've seen so far. There have been some standout pieces in every single collection and the quality of their work has set the bar for future Asian Fashion Week contenders pretty high!

So far we've seen collections from the following designers: MOI (India), Antonina Vorobyeva (Russia), Natalia Litinova (Russia), Ramona Oshini (Sri Lanka), Miss Indee (Sri Lanka), Arugam Bay (Sri Lanka), and Studio FH (Sri Lanka).

MOI was a standout collection with their use of materials. Jewel like colours, flowy, floaty chiffons, and some amazing couture like cultural dresses made for an engaging opening to the night.

The Russians brought a signature quirk to their designs. Antonina Vorobyeva had one of our favourite pieces so far- an oversized black cable knit wool bolero that cocooned the models upper body like an avante garde spiderweb, while Natalia Litinova showcased an A-Line burnt bronze dress with a black chiffon neckline that was to-die-for.

There was a general elegance to the Sri Lankan collections. Miss Indee saw a mix of fun and elegant prints with tapered silhouettes that had a femininity to them. The menswear collections presented by Arugam Bay and Studio FH, were similarly elegant despite being opposite in theme. Arugam Bay’s collection was all about the tailored suit in varying shades of a royal blue, and Studio FH opted for use of fun batik prints in more casual shapes.

Want to see the full fashion show roundup? We’ll be posting photos from all the collections soon!

the collective