Bubah Alfian started his career as a make-up artist, before spreading his wings wider and making a name for himself, not only in the beauty industry, but also in the fashion industry. As the director of the coveted annual Jember Fashion Carnaval, Bubah aims to put Indonesian culture and creative talents on the international map.
Q: What have you been up to halfway into 2023?
A: I’m still in the fashion and beauty industry, as the creative director of Puteri Indonesia pageant and as the director of Jember Fashion Carnaval (JFC). My projects in the near future include building my own beauty salon, and hosting an event that will mark my 17th year in the industry. At the event, I want to bring together talented designers, as well as the newer designers, creative people from JFC and other beauty and fashion activists in Indonesia, so that they can showcase their works. I will work together with small and medium enterprises to create a bazaar with value for money. I’m also campaigning to have an airport built in Jember, East Java. At the moment, transport to Jember is still quite challenging, and yet we saw 350,000 visitors to the annual JFC. Imagine if we can have direct flights from Jakarta or Bali, I’m sure we can achieve more visits, which will not only help Jember’s tourism and economy, but also the nearby cities’.
Q: What do you think of the fashion and beauty scene in Indonesia at the moment?
A: I feel like the beauty scene is improving fast, with more and more people realising the importance of healthy skin, and you can see how skin care productions are sky-rocketing right now. That being said, when it comes to the fashion scene, I want to encourage the designers to do more haute couture, and not just settling for the bridal section. I also want to encourage the creative people in the industry to keep creating so that Indonesia can be a trendsetter, not just a follower.
Q: What can we expect from the next Jember Fashion Carnaval?
A: As a director, I want to inspire the new designers participating in JFC to create more spectacular looks, to be more creative with the materials and fabrics they use, and whenever possible, use recycled or repurposed materials to make the industry more sustainable, while still creating gorgeous looks. Every year, we always want to highlight Indonesia’s rich culture, but this time we also want to invite participants from other countries so that we can learn more and appreciate one another’s culture.
Q: Is there any more future project that you would like to share?
A: I’m in the process of working with a batik manufacturer to create a line of batik that would appeal to younger crowd, from the colours to the motifs, so that Gen Z and Gen Alpha would wear batik proudly and not just because they have to. In addition, I’m also preparing for the Glam Hunt 2023, a competition looking for a talented new generation of make-up artists in Indonesia.
Asia Dreams Volume 47
Bubah Alfian
@bubahalfian
