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Creativity faces a real test when it is confronted by many constraints. It’s not easy to be imaginative or playful when there is a set of rules to follow.

In fashion, modest Muslim wear is perhaps one of the most challenging to design. Also called syar’i fashion in Indonesia, this type of clothing should not be revealing either visually or physically, and must fully cover a woman’s chest and back. This is why many modest clothing almost uniformly have an A-line silhouette, and come in either black or another dark color.

This style also prevailed as the standard in Indonesia for many years until modest fashion brand Si.Se.Sa launched its debut collection during Indonesia Fashion Week (IFW) 2013 in Jakarta.

“[The collection] sold out in one day,” said Siriz Zulfikar, the brand’s head of business development who founded Si.Se.Sa with her sisters, Senaz Nasansia and Sansa Enandera. “For the rest of the four-day event, we were just there to take POs [purchase orders].”

Its first collection featured maxi dresses and khimar, or long headscarves that cover the head, shoulders and chest, sometimes also the buttocks. They came in soft, pastel colors and were adorned with frills and ruffles in a departure from the usual modest clothing, but without compromising Islamic rules.

Si.Se.Sa has grown rapidly since then, and today operates 18 boutiques and stores in the country, including a newly opened flagship boutique in South Jakarta.

Striking style: A woman looks at a dress-and-khimar outfit on display in modest fashion brand Si.Se.Sa’s new flagship boutique. (JP/Sylviana Hamdani) (JP/Sylviana Hamdani)

Like mother, like daughters

The four-storey store, which opened on July 11 in a 4,000-square-meter building, towers over the residential homes on Jl. Prapanca Raya. The property consists of Si.Se.Sa, a café, a function hall and the brand’s management office.

“[The building] was originally [part of] our parents’ house,” said marketing communications head Senaz. “We also bought the house next door and converted them into our flagship boutique.”

The three siblings have been strongly influenced by their parents, who still live in an adjacent residential space located at the back of the building. Siriz, Senaz and Sansa inherited their talent and passion for fashion from their mother, senior Muslim fashion designer Merry Pramono.

“Since we were kids, we often saw our mom working and designing at home,” Senaz said. “And since we were teenagers, we have designed our own dresses and had them made by seamstresses.”

But the three sisters took very different career paths when they grew up, though all three were based in the nation’s capital.

The eldest, Siriz, is a graduate of management studies from Trisakti University Jakarta who worked as an executive at a foreign bank, while Senaz, who studied architecture at the same university, worked for an architecture consultancy.

The youngest, Sansa, who holds a master’s in psychology from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, worked as an account executive at The Jakarta Post.

“But when we had kids, our husbands asked us to stay at home,” Senaz said. “And since we all love fashion, our mom suggested that we start our own label.”

So in 2011, the three founded Si.Se.Sa, an acronym formed from the first syllables of their names.

In contrast to Merry, who offers high-end, one-of-a-kind pieces, Si.Se.Sa offers ready-to-wear Muslim fashion to young customers.

“We did everything together, in the gotong-royong [mutual cooperation] style,” Siriz said with a laugh.

At first, the sisters took turns designing Si.Se.Sa’s collections according to their own personal style. Later, they agreed that Sansa, who had taken a one-year fashion design course at Esmod Jakarta, should head the brand’s creative division.

“It’s actually quite a huge pressure for me,” said Sansa. “After brainstorming together, I have to design the whole collection and [then] present it to my sisters.”

In 2013, the three sisters made a personal decision to wear syar’i clothing on a daily basis.

“We felt that syar’i clothing is more modest and proper and in line with our religious [tenets],” Siriz explained.

As before, the sisters designed their own dresses and khimar for daily wear, involuntarily inspiring their many customers to also adopt modest fashion.

“Seeing us [wearing modest clothing], many of our customers commented, ‘I want what mbak-mbak [sisters] Si.Se.Sa are wearing,’” Siriz recalled.

So that same year, the brand decided to focus solely on modest wear and launched its debut syar’i collection at IFW 2013.

“Beyond our expectations, [the collection] boomed and started the [syar’i fashion] trend that has lasted until now,” said Siriz.

Tough challenges

Creating a syar’i fashion collection was, however, very different from designing typical modest wear.

“I find it very challenging,” Sansa said. “But luckily, the three of us wear [syar’i clothing]. So, before launching a collection in the market, we always try on the items ourselves to see whether they looked good and felt comfortable to us.”

Comfort is indeed a major consideration for Si.Se.Sa clothing and accessories.

“As Indonesia has a tropical climate, it’s important that our outfits are lightweight, loose-fitted and don’t constrain any movement,” said creative head Sansa, who opted for fabrics that flowed “gracefully” on the body, such as chiffon, crepe and cotton.

In 2015, the label became a co-branding partner to Swarovski, which designs bespoke crystal embellishments for the brand.

Fashion enthusiasts

Today, Si.Se.Sa has more than 400,000 Instagram followers and more than 10,000 Facebook fans. This July, the brand launched the Si.Se.Sa Lovers Community (SLC), which offers members special discounts and reward points for every purchase.

“Currently, we have approximately 2,000 members from all over Indonesia,” said Siriz.

The brand also holds meet-and-greet events at their boutiques so they can get to know their loyal customers. The events are hosted by actress Citra Kirana, who was recently appointed as Si.Se.Sa’s brand ambassador.

“Si.Se.Sa is the pioneering brand of Indonesian syar’i fashion,” Citra Kirana said during an interview at the opening of the brand’s South Jakarta flagship boutique.

“I’ve been wearing their outfits to pengajian [religious lessons] and love them. They’re modest, yet very chic and fashionable. Alhamdulillah [Blessed be God], I can now represent them as their brand ambassador.”

Creative departure: A model presents a pink, flowing outfit from Si.Se.Sa’s “Fleuri” collection on June 17, 2016 at the brand’s annual fashion show at Da Vinci Tower in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. (Courtesy of Tim Muara Bagdja) (Courtesy of Team Muara Bagdja/Courtesy of Team Muara Bagdja)

‘New normal’

Si.Se.Sa is optimistic about the growth of Indonesias’s modest fashion industry.

“Back in 2013, we rarely saw women wearing syar’i clothing. But now, everywhere we go, at supermarkets, schools and even weddings, we see lots of women wearing it,” Senaz said.

With the largest Muslim population in the world, Senaz is assured that the industry will see exponential growth in the country.

“There are tens of millions of Muslim [women] in Indonesia,” she continued. “More and more of them think that wearing syar’i [clothing] is normal now. And like most women, they also want to look different each day. So, inshallah, the market is certain to expand.”

Si.Se.Sa also aims to expand and provide all fashion needs for women, including accessories, and to open another boutique early next year.

But what about the brand’s many competitors that copy its designs?“We won’t waste any time or energy worrying about them. We’ll just move forward and keep on creating,” Siriz replied.Read more at:formal dresses online shopping| plus size formal dresses