Government Launches Jakarta-Area Fashion Incubator to Drive Global Growth
Indonesia’s Ministry of Creative Economy has officially launched a specialized Fashion Incubation program in the Greater Jakarta area, a strategic initiative designed to significantly help local designers enhance their product quality and aggressively expand their reach into both national and international markets.
Creative Economy Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya framed this initiative as the government’s foundational first step toward the long-term empowerment of local fashion brands, aiming to position them for eventual global recognition.
Harsya emphasized the sector’s economic importance, noting in a statement on Sunday that “The fashion sub-sector contributes significantly to exports and job creation within the creative economy.”
He added that “This program aims to strengthen the creative economy’s role in driving national growth from the local level,” underscoring the strategic link between local talent development and national economic momentum.
The program has already entered its crucial bootcamp phase, which is taking place in Bogor, West Java, and is scheduled to run from October 31 to November 3.
This intensive phase follows a competitive registration and selection process that initially attracted 61 applicants beginning on October 17.
Ten selected entrepreneurs, representing businesses from Jakarta, West Java, and Banten, are currently participating in the four-day training, which comprehensively addresses clothing, bag, and footwear businesses.
The fashion incubator concept is materialized through this rigorous curriculum, which covers essential topics like product design, prototype presentation skills, financial management, strategic branding, and necessary digitalization techniques.
Enhancing Business Capacity and Export Preparedness
Deputy Minister for Cultural Creativity and Design Yuke Sri Rahayu detailed the program’s core objectives, stating that its primary mission is to substantially raise the business capacity and intrinsic product value of the participating entrepreneurs.
Rahayu provided context on the current scale of the participants’ operations, explaining that “Most participants already manage small enterprises employing about five workers each.”
She calculated the collective impact, adding, “With 10 entrepreneurs joining, roughly 50 workers are contributing to national growth,” thereby quantifying the program’s immediate effect on local employment.
The entire fashion incubator initiative, she stressed, is a critical component supporting the ministry’s much broader strategy for developing Indonesia’s creative economy.
This strategy is formally articulated through the comprehensive Creative Industry Development Roadmap 2029 and the proactive Acceleration of Indonesian Creative Product Export (ASIK) program.
These framework documents provide the strategic backing for all such developmental efforts.
Rahayu took the opportunity to strongly encourage more fashion entrepreneurs across the nation to actively participate in similar initiatives, which are crucial for collectively strengthening Indonesia’s creative industry’s overall competitiveness and scale.
By focusing on practical skills—from improving product design to mastering the finance required for export— the program directly addresses the key hurdles faced by small and medium enterprises looking to move beyond local markets and access global opportunities.
Participant Enthusiasm and Future Market Access Goals
The response from the entrepreneurs attending the bootcamp demonstrates significant enthusiasm for the opportunities provided by the government’s focused intervention.
Eti Yuniarti, a designer specializing in knitted products and one of the selected participants, shared her high hopes that the specialized training will provide the necessary tools and knowledge to help her business achieve global expansion.
Yuniarti underscored the hands-on value of the curriculum, stating, “We’re learning both theory and practice here.”
She also expressed a desire for the government to sustain this level of support, remarking, “I hope the ministry continues programs like this to prepare us for wider market access.”
The success of this initial fashion incubator program in the Greater Jakarta area is crucial, as it will serve as a pilot model for potential replication in other creative hubs across Indonesia, spreading the benefits of enhanced product quality and business acumen.
The focus on practical elements like presentation skills and digitalization ensures that these local brands are prepared not only to design better products but also to navigate the complexities of international trade, including online global e-commerce platforms.
The goal remains consistent: to transition local, high-quality Indonesian creative products from domestic recognition to achieving genuine international standing, thereby fulfilling the government’s objective of leveraging the creative economy for sustainable national growth.
