Rinda Salmun RTW Spring 2018

Returning to Los Angeles as one of handful of Indonesian designers who showed here this season (the country’s consulate was among the event sponsors), Rinda Salmun was hoping to find a broader audience for her contemporary, day-to-night clothing, which so far, only retails in Asia.

The collection she sent out drew heavily on Indonesian influences, namely, a cotton-based fabric called lurik that is traditionally handmade in a variety of colorful strips. But Salmun mixed these with modern leather, lace and satin, often piecing together the fabrics in geometric patchwork patterns. Some she fashioned into fitted, layered silhouettes and others that borrowed from traditional Javanese dress.

The result was a playful, arty collection that would probably find a following with Western customers in search of unique clothes with a contemporary vibe. Certainly the color palette was modern — dark green mixed with graphic black and white stripes and touches of navy and pale pink, or a computer-generated print in a range of pinks.

As her brother Rian — who came in her stead as the designer was about to have a baby back in Indonesia — explained, Salmun aims to create wearable art with an often experimental bent that comes from the years she spent in the London fashion scene.

Launch Gallery: Rinda Salmun RTW Spring 2018

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