Fashion, Food and Live Music in Bandung, the 'Paris of Java'

Every weekend, visitors from all over Indonesia swarm to Bandung, a city often referred to as the Paris of Java and known for its rich culinary tradition and diverse fashion industry.

But last weekend, Bandung had something more to offer than the usual fare — the Trademark Market at the Paris Van Java Mall.

Trademark spread out over two floors and offered high-quality, locally made clothing, as well as food and live music.

This was the third time Trademark was held in Bandung. The first took place in February last year, and the second in November.

Even bumper-to-bumper traffic on Jalan Sukajadi, the main street where the mall is located, could not stop the many shopaholics who made their way to visit Trademark. Over the course of the event, more than 50,000 people came to shop, eat and have a good time.

On the first day, however, Trademark was only open to invited guests. Trademark director Saira Naisar said that this was due to the high demand.

“We invited 2,000 selected guests because we saw during our last event that the goods always sell rapidly,” she explained. “Every tenant has loyal customers, so we want to give them the opportunity to have the privilege of choosing and buying first.”

Diza Rahman of Nordhen Basic, a men’s fashion label, was taking part in Trademark for the third time because he said he liked the atmosphere of the event.

“It’s very exciting, and we put a lot of effort into getting feedback from our customers,” he explained. “They come to us, have a chat, ask [for] what they need and I get advice, even criticism, in person.”

He added that having a stall at Trademark was quite profitable.

“With this four-day sale, we can earn the same amount as a one-month sale in our store,” Diza said.

Anarima Savitri of Jazz the Way You Are, an online fashion outlet for jazz lovers, said the most important thing about Trademark for her was the ability to gain more exposure for the brand.

“Our brand is still new on the market, we have been up and running for just more than six months,” she said.

“Trademark gives us the chance to introduce our brand to a broader audience.”

Aulia Fitrisari, a stylist and fashion blogger, was one of the many shoppers in the crowd looking for hidden treasures.

“The prices here are very affordable and, of course, it is much more fun to actually buy stuff than just window shop,” she said while flirting with the idea of buying a pair of brown shoes.

“Maybe for the next Trademark, the organizers need to expand the space and put more air conditioning here,” Aulia said.

Despite the heat and the crowds, the atmosphere of Trademark was very relaxed, as friends bumped into each other, tenants interacted with their customers, and groups of people simply enjoyed an afternoon snack or listened to live music.

Trademark was founded by four people with different backgrounds: Saira Naisar, a fashion designer who graduated from Lasalle College Singapore, Irsan Ahsen Servia, who studied engineering, and Farhan Servia and Rehana Weqar, who both studied management and business.

They were all similarly concerned about the country’s fashion development and believed that it was necessary to help the many small creative businesses make the leap from homemade to professional.

“This city is known for its fashion industry and its uniqueness, and we give young, talented designers and creative entrepreneurs a chance to showcase their work,” said Editha, Trademark’s promotion and media manager. “And it’s not restricted to people from Bandung, we also invite people from Jakarta and Yogyakarta to promote their brands.”

Visitors who came during the last day of the event were the most lucky, as many brands offered heavy discounts.

What true shopaholic could resist a such a sweet deal?