Citayam as Social Phenomenon

KOMPAS/STEFANUS ATO

A woman performs a fashion show in the Upper Dukuh area, Tanah Abang District, Central Jakarta, Monday (25/7/2022) afternoon.

Citayam Fashion Week (CFW) has become very popular in recent days. At first, the event’s name was used more as a derogatory expression. Later, it became the talk of the town.

The CFW has absolutely nothing to do with the village of Citayam, which is located near its namesake railway station in Bogor, which has been operating since 1873.

Instead, the CFW refers to an area around the Dukuh Atas train station in Central Jakarta. It has recently become a well-known street fashion event that uses a zebra crossing as a catwalk. This is where the "models" take turns, passing the crossing while presenting their fashion styles.

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In just a month, the CFW has become the talk of the town. The Megawati Institute even held a discussion, linking the nation's intellectuals and the CFW phenomenon (Kompas, 28/7/2022).

Recently, the CFW gained a new nickname “Haradukuh”, referring to Tokyo’s Harajuku street fashion. In the early 1980s, a group of young people occupied the streets near the Harajuku railway station. They wore nontraditional clothing as self-expression against the constraints of rigid societal norms.

The CFW started going viral at the end of June 2022, as reported by Kompas.com. A number of video interviews of teenagers hanging out in the Dukuh Atas Station area went viral on digital media. The clothes they wear are various. They come from Bojonggede, Citayam, and Depok. Recently, CFW-like activities have also appeared in several other cities, including Surabaya.

KOMPAS/STEFANUS ATO

The atmosphere of the fashion show action in the Upper Hamlet area, Tanah Abang District, Central Jakarta, Monday (25/7/2022) afternoon.

According to several teenagers, they gathered in Dukuh Atas because they needed a place to meet. We can easily see the density of the city and the lack of open, public spaces. This has led to the emergence of the CFW. The failure of the city administration to provide affordable urban space has prompted them to create their own space.

The youth's creativity is appearing in clothes that they also exchange.

Dukuh Atas is an ideal location because it forms the hub of the Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) public transit systems. There is a large and open public space. You only need to pay for train tickets and buy a bottled drink, and you can hang out for hours without being intimidated by Jakarta's social gap. The youth's creativity is appearing in clothes that they also exchange.

What leaders and urban planners can learn from this phenomenon is that teenagers, whose numbers will continue to grow amid the country’s demographic bonus, need open spaces: a space that can be accessed by connecting the junction points (nodes) in the transit network.

As long as it doesn't disturb the public order, let this activity take place without suspicion. Decades ago, then-Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin did this by building a youth arena. Let the CFW become a public brand, just like Harajuku made Tokyo famous in the world. The CFW youth have the same spirit, free to create to new ideas, innovations, express their identity. Time will tell whether the CFW is just a temporary fad or the start of lasting social change.

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)