Meet the Jakarta makers of Made In magazine

When we spoke to OOMK magazine following their recent trip to Malaysia, they noted how easy it is to overlook independent publishing scenes beyond London, Berlin and New York. There are tons of inspiring projects waiting to be discovered in cities and regions we wouldn’t normally come across, and Made In by Studio Gemetry is one such publication.

A magazine uncovering the creative landscapes of different cities, it looks at local artisans, makers, brands, and those who “bring colours to the city they live in.” Part documentation, part travel guide, it is filled with compelling stories of groups and individuals who are passionate about what they are doing. We asked publisher Primo Rizky to give us his guide to some of the makers in this issue.

Melissa previously ran her own creative agency in the US, but returned to Jakarta to channel her passion in art. She started by buying a roll of cotton canvas in Jakarta’s old town and made printed pillow cases, tea towels, and aprons using her grandmother’s 1940s sewing machine.

Jakarta is known as the fashion capital of Indonesia, where designers are racing to create trends for the whole nation. Designer Tommy Ambiyo Tedji is one of the rising stars in the fashion industry, and is renowned for designed the iconic BYO bag that incorporates unusual materials like PVC, and uses a sacred geometric pattern that helped it become an instant hit.

Kana is a breath of fresh air in the Indonesian craft scene, especially in the batik industry, where batik artisans usually come from small cities in Java provinces. (Batik is a traditional Indonesian textile that has motifs hand painted with wax.) Kana breaks the tradition by producing batik with more contemporary patterns, turning it into modern clothing that takes its cue from Japanese streetwear brands.

Keenan and Ernanda are a perfect portrayal of Jakarta’s young generation. But while others are using social media for their own purposes, the two utilised their skill in creating enticing content by establishing a small creative studio to help local brands (and even some big multinational brands) create digital campaigns on platforms such as Instagram or YouTube. They took us to the art galleries, concept stores and coffee shops where they usually go to find inspiration.

When they started out Carline Darjanto and Ria Sarwono wanted to create Indonesia’s answer to H&M and Uniqlo. They began by selling tees from their Facebook account, and now their brand Cotton Ink has hundreds of thousands of fans and their dream to build their own street fashion brand has become reality.