On 28th April 2018, Sarinah participated in the Kartini Festival Fashion Show, a fashion exhibition held by the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) at the De Tjolomadoe tourism centre in Karanganyar, Central Java. Held in commemoration of Kartini Day, the event aimed to highlight the need to encourage more women to become leaders in some of the country’s most prominent industries. Representing Sarinah at the event was Ms Lies Permana as the company’s Director of Retail with the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Ms Rini Soemarno also in attendance.
The fashion show featured a number of female SOE Directors as models on a catwalk, showcasing traditional as well as contemporary fashion collections from some of Indonesia’s leading designers. Ms Permana wore the Kebaya dress alongside Perum Peruri’s President Director Ms Dwiana Septiani Wijaya and Special Staff II to the Minister of SOEs Ms Wianda Pusponegoro. The dresses were produced by local SMEs from the city of Solo and utilized regionally-sourced fabrics that incorporated unique motifs to highlight the region’s diverse culture.
At the event, Ms Soemarno hosted a talk show themed, ‘Kartini Millennials’, which focused on the importance of supporting young women in starting their own businesses, entering higher education, or increasing their vocational skills so as to contribute to Indonesia’s economic development.
Furthermore, in addition to the fashion show, the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises also organised a Culinary and Arts & Craft Exhibition. This platform provided the opportunity for SME’s from Karanganyar and across Indonesia to present their products and services to visitors.
Through its participation in the fashion show event, Sarinah demonstrated its commitment to mobilizing Indonesia’s female workforce. As such, with Indonesia experiencing continuous industrialization, the role of women is therefore instrumental in achieving its goals for self-sustainability as well as its potential to become an economic powerhouse in the region.