Minister of Trade (Mendag) Zulkifli Hasan said that Indonesia's cultural diversity, local wisdom, and human resources (HR) are not only able to inspire the world, but can also dominate global markets, one of which is in the Indonesian Muslim fashion sector. These advantages and potentials are the key to realizing Indonesia as the world's Muslim fashion center in 2024. This was conveyed by the Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan at the Road to Jakarta Muslim Fashion Week (JMFW) 2023, Fashion Show & Dialogue entitled "From Local Wisdom to Global Inspiration " which took place at the Office of the Ministry of Trade today, Tuesday (23/8). This activity was carried out in collaboration with various parties, including Mustika Ratu, the Putri Indonesia Foundation, the Indonesian Fashion Chamber, and a number of well-known Indonesian fashion brands. “With the potential for cultural diversity, local wisdom, and human resources (HR) that Indonesia has, we are not only able to inspire the world, but also dominate the global market. Various traditional Indonesian fabrics with philosophical values have become a source of creativity for designers and Indonesian Muslim fashion businesses that other countries do not have. This is the key to realizing Indonesia as the world's Muslim fashion mecca in 2024," said Trade Minister Zulhas in his statement, Tuesday (23/8). Zulhas explained that the market potential for Muslim fashion and modest fashion in Indonesia is very large. There are two things that encourage Indonesia to have a bigger role in the Muslim fashion sector and modest fashion. First, the world's Muslim population is equivalent to 25% of the world's total population. By 2060, the number is predicted to increase to 30 % of the global population. Second, the purchasing power of modest fashion products has increased by 6.1% in the last four years and is expected to continue to increase in line with the growth in the number of consumers/population. In addition to fashion shows, the Minister of Trade also held a dialogue with designers regarding the development of the Indonesian Muslim fashion industry, developing the competence of designers and entrepreneurs in Indonesian Muslim fashion, as well as the support and role of the Ministry of Trade in realizing Indonesia as the center of world Muslim fashion through Jakarta Muslim Fashion Week (JMFW) 2023. In particular, Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan will invite business actors in the fashion sector, especially Indonesian Muslim fashion, to sit down and discuss. "The domestic market is important, but it's time to 'go global'. The Ministry of Trade is ready to fully support efforts to make Indonesia a mecca for the world's Muslims," explained Zulhas. Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan invites relevant stakeholders to synergize and collaborate in the success of JMFW in order to make Indonesia a mecca for world Muslim fashion. JMFW is a platform established by the Ministry of Trade through the Directorate General of National Export Development in collaboration with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin). This is in accordance with President Joko Widodo's direction to develop Indonesian Muslim fashion. The Road to JMFW 2023 series has been started from April to September 2022 through various activities. This is a form of the Ministry of Trade's commitment to encourage Indonesian Muslim fashion brands to penetrate the export market. The peak of this year's JMFW will be held on 20-22 October 2022 in conjunction with the 37th Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) 2022 which will take place at ICE BSD, Tangerang, Banten. Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the export value of Muslim fashion in the first semester of 2022 was recorded at USD 2.85 billion, an increase of 39.86% compared to the same period last year of USD 2.04 billion. Meanwhile, in 2021, Indonesian Muslim fashion exports were recorded at USD 4.68 billion, an increase of 12.49% compared to the previous year of USD 4.16 billion.
However, Indonesia is still in the 13th position as the world's exporter of Muslim clothing, with a share of around 1.86%, or under China, Bangladesh and Vietnam. The top five destinations for Indonesian Muslim fashion exports are the United States, Japan, Germany, Canada, and South Korea. This shows that Muslim fashion consumption is not always in Asian and African countries, but also in America and Europe. In line with efforts to open market access, the Minister of Trade will hold a Plenary Meeting with members of the House of Representatives to ratify international trade cooperation agreements, namely the Bill on Ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) and the Bill on Ratification of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. between the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and the Government of the Republic of Korea (Indonesia-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement / IK-CEPA). “Through trade agreements, the government opens a 'toll road' for Indonesian products to penetrate the global market without any obstacles. It is hoped that business actors, including those in the Muslim fashion sector, can utilize and optimize the results of trade agreements as well as possible," he concluded.
