UNIQUE

Manifesting The Spirit of Indonesian Fabric Legacy

Overview

Interpreting the uniqueness of Indonesian traditional fabrics for the world.

Cultural artifacts have key roles as a track record of a value that is upheld by a civilization. Indonesia, with its diverse cultural acculturation, has been the epicenter of the world's rich visual heritage. This is shown by various traditional fabrics one can find throughout Indonesia.

UNIQUE Indonesia saw this as an asset in the Indonesian fashion industry: a way to move ahead in the global market vortex through its diversity of fabrics. It also presents the articulation of Indonesian fabrics to become a cultural object, and to define one's authenticity as a complete human identity, especially for women.

SCOPE

Audience Understanding

Brand Identity Design

Visual Identity & System

Brand Bible

Campaign & Activation

Interior Design

Photography

UI & UX Design

ROLES

Bayu Rengga Mauludy, Strategist

Gufron Perdana, Researcher

Wenda Zidah, Brand Communication

Aulia Akbar, Design Lead

Richard Marciano, Graphic Designer

Rasyid Rizky, Graphic Designer

Dani Huda, Photographer

Akita Messakh, Videographer

Bondan Fertilano, Interior Design Lead

Understanding the perspective of UNIQUE's vision and core values during the product creation & communication process.

Being in business for 8 years, UNIQUE has explored various fashion processes. It explored many fabrics in the archipelago and broaden them into contemporary styles. In addition to studying their methodology, we worked together to design brand communication—how to encapsulate the value in visual identity for broader future communication and to be more in tune with the International audience.

To design an identity that represents existing values, we conducted cultural research with a focus on the most dominant fabrics used by UNIQUE, namely Lurik & Batik throughout the island of Java, Indonesia. We also collected literature archives, then looked for the connection which could wrap the right conceptualization of the brand.

Unique: Insignia of Women's Beauty

After in-depth research of the archives and literacy of Indonesian visual motif, we chose the Peacock figure as the embodiment of feminine power and as the representation of their market segmentation. We also gave the statement "Selayaknya Perempuan Nusantara" ("Nusantara Woman as She is") to highlight and strengthen the market positioning.

Our offered concept, "Inspire Others to Find Authenticity" has also reflected, moved, and articulated UNIQUE Indonesia's efforts so far. It consistently brings values from the roots to be continuously relevant to the authenticity of Indonesian identity, especially for women.

Heritage Portrayal of Authentic Indonesian Women

The inclusion of Indonesian visual motif in every UNIQUE product and the artistic photography led by Dani Huda—a young emerging visual artist talent from Indonesia—helped to clearly express the depiction of UNIQUE's brand statement. The pieces and contemporary layering techniques in each product are well exposed, in line with the ambiance of Indonesian heritage: earthy tone and dim & serene traditional houses.

Preserving the culture & reconstructing the artifacts to be more relevant.

We balanced the brand message & purpose and its manifestation into a reconstructive approach contained on Indonesian traditional fabrics and more universally objects in world perspective.

By respecting and reflecting past processes and forms, we tried to bring out the "uniqueness" of the UNIQUE brand itself through this visual approach. With the synergy of visual equivalents from the past, present, and the future, UNIQUE came with products with deep storytelling.

Where modern interpretation of cultural tradition blends.

Together with Studio Wangun, we brought out the holistic brand experience through interior design for UNIQUE's own store that carried the contemporary modern style of Indonesian traditional decorative arts. The store is treated as an exhibition space where the displays expose the beautiful traditional fabrics. To add the traditional elements, we put customized furnitures made by Jepara carvers—the best carvers in Indonesia.