APR Organises Gathering Celebrating ‘The Journey from Sustainable Fibre to Fashion’ | Asia Pacific Rayon Skip to main content

APR hosted a gathering of 45 representatives from the Indonesian fashion industry in a roundtable celebrating the journey from sustainable fibre to fashion. The gathering took place in APR’s Jakarta Sales Office on Thursday, 13 September 2018 and included designers from the Indonesian Fashion Chamber (IFC), representatives from fashion institutes LaSalle College Jakarta and Istituto di Moda Burgo, and selected customers.

At the roundtable, participants were introduced to viscose fibre as a raw material that is naturally made from sustainably grown trees which is complementary to sustainable fashion – with attributes being biodegradable and natural. Products made from viscose fibre are soft, breathable and comfortable to skin.

Group photo of representatives from Indonesian textile & fashion industry

Group photo of representatives from Indonesian textile & fashion industry

Indonesia as Textile Champion in the World

The gathering opened with a presentation from Ben Poon, Deputy Head of APR, on the company’s unique value proposition in the supply chain as the only player able to grow, manufacture and produce viscose staple fibre entirely in Indonesia. ‘Everything Indonesia’ a campaign championed by APR which celebrates the transformation of Indonesia’s fashion industry, promoting products made in Indonesia and going global. The vision of making Indonesia a Textile Champion will not be possible without the collaboration of various players in the textile value chain in Indonesia.

Panel Discussion during APR Designers Workshop

Panel Discussion (L to R):
Reviana Rahmania Surya (moderator), Yonita Yunus, Tapan Kumar Sannigrahi, Ali Charisma

The evening included a panel discussion comprising of panel members Ali Charisma, President of Indonesian Fashion Chamber (IFC), Novita Yunus, Founder and Creative Director of Batik Chic, and Tapan Kumar Sannigrahi, VP Business Development of APR, on the topic ‘Make Indonesia Fashion Great Again’.

Novita Yunus commented that “local Indonesian fashion designers can take the lead, create more authentic designs that can go global”, encouraging local designers to be take up a greater role in promoting Indonesian identity globally.

This was agreed upon by Ali Charisma on his message to fellow fashion designers. “Our dream is to have fashion designers born and groomed in Indonesia being successful. But don’t chase your dreams abroad. Your future is here. We have the resources, culture, artisanship and workforce in the country. All these, plus a partnership with companies willing to work with designers to make clothings, will make Indonesia’s fashion great again”, he said.

Sustainable Fashion

Sustainability is also an important factor for the fashion industry. “At APR, we take sustainability seriously in the areas of pulp sourcing, clean manufacturing, as well as social stewardship”, said Cherie Tan, Head of APR Sustainability and Communications. Topics on sustainable fashion were positively echoed by several participants during interactive table discussions in the second half of the evening where they were given opportunities to exchange views with each other to maximize learnings.

APR designers workshop table discussions

Table Discussions on topics related to the industry

The night ended with a dinner celebrating Indonesian flavors in a casual setting where participants interacted together.

About Asia Pacific Rayon:

Asia Pacific Rayon (APR) will become the first fully integrated viscose rayon producer in Indonesia. The company produces natural and biodegradable viscose fibre used in textile products. Committed to sustainable sourcing and clean manufacturing, APR produces top quality products that address customers’ needs, while touching the lives of the communities around our areas of operations. APR’s 240,000-tonne capacity mill is located in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau, Indonesia and slated to commence operations in Q4 2018.

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