The Japan External Trade Organization is aiding the Japanese fashion industry's foray into Indonesia so it can tap growing incomes in the world's fourth-most populous country.
In Jakarta earlier this month, state-backed JETRO organized an event in which 21 fashion labels from Japan were presented, focusing on young people.
Indonesia has a population of 250 million with an average age of 30, and its per capita gross domestic product has exceeded $3,000 — a level from which its market is projected to begin rapid expansion, according to JETRO.
Indonesia is viewed as a potential market for the Japanese fashion industry, Daiki Kasugahara, head of JETRO's Jakarta office, said at a news conference ahead of Japan Fashion Event 2017.
"I hope this event can create a new fashion culture and improve the fashion industries of both countries and ultimately support the economies of both countries," Kasugahara added.
Buyers, media representatives and other parties participated in a fashion brand presentation while a fashion show was held at the Kota Kasablanka shopping mall in Jakarta over the weekend, with a temporary booth set up for business meetings involving 21 labels.
The participants included nine brands focusing on women's clothing, such as Isato Special Made IDW, Seiji Inoue, Imari, DenimCloset, Esperanza and Rocco, and five that presented Muslim wear for women, including Saiga, Sayori and Plantica.
"Surely this event will complement the programs that we already have and the programs that we already produced," Roy Mandey, chief of the Indonesian Retailers Association, said at the news conference. "We hope this event can be beneficial and we could establish good cooperation with JETRO."