"Since 2019, IFCA has consistently been present to build and encourage young designers to become agents of change that are able to explore and innovate product designs based on sustainability," acting director general of small and medium industries of the Industry Ministry, Reni Yanita, said at the 2021 IFCA event in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The theme for the 2021 IFCA competition was 'Adaptability in Responsible Design', she informed. The competition was meant to provide an opportunity to designers to create innovative and creative products in response to challenges arising amid the current uncertainty, while still paying attention to the balance of nature and the harmony of human relationships, she said.
"The design concept is very important in the creation process of a product because it affects the raw materials, production processes, and the delivery of products to consumers, which in turn supports the competitiveness of a product," she said.
The IFCA competition was also in line with the United Nations (UN) declaring this year as the 'International Year of the Creative Economy for Sustainable Development', she said.
This initiative was an opportunity for Indonesia to encourage national economic recovery through the creative industry sector, especially the fashion and crafts sub-sector, she added.
The recovery in the manufacturing industry sector can be seen from the national manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI), which increased to 52.2 in September, 2021 from 43.7 in August, Yanita noted.
Through IFCA, young designers could not only test their abilities, but also hone their business development skills with the assistance of practitioners, academics, and creative ecosystem builders or creative community activists, she said.
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"We hope that in the future, the 2021 IFCA Alumni can be the spearhead for building a more environmentally friendly and inclusive industry so that we can present a more comfortable world for all," Yanita remarked.
To excel in the competition, designers also needed a strategy in addition to improving the design concept.
"We need to emphasize the importance of establishing communication, engagement between products and their users, so that the products that will be launched later can be fit to the market, which is the compatibility between the products being marketed and the needs of consumers," she said.
Fashion and craft designers also had to pay attention to people's behaviors, especially their target consumers, she added. The goal was to be able to map the needs of the community, so that the concept of the product being marketed can be in accordance with the main target consumers, she explained.
At this year's IFCA, the winners received Rp130 million (US$9,119) as coaching fee for the craft and fashion categories as well as sustainable business development coaching, she informed.
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Translator: Sella P G, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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