Thousands of workers are lured to the U.S. each year in search for a better life. Seduced with promises of higher wages and permanent residency sponsorship, they arrive in the U.S. only to realize they’ve been victims of labor trafficking. These workers are living in a legal limbo: they can’t stay in the U.S., and they can’t return home.

In the arena of personal style, Indonesian men have progressed leaps and bounds in the past 10 years. More clothing-conscious than ever, they’re taking the time to dress well, and realizing that they don’t need Western brands to do it.

Now, thanks to an up-and-coming menswear line called Thrunk, they’ll have more access to a rare commodity: stylish clothes that were designed, sourced and produced at home.

“In Indonesia, I don’t think there are a lot of designers that focus on menswear,” said Dansyah Madja, Thrunk’s creative director. “We’re trying to inject menswear with good fabric and signature details into the Indonesian market.”

Men today are increasingly interested in their clothing and style. In April, Singapore hosted Men’s Fashion Week 2011, the first Asian fashion event dedicated to leading men’s fashion, and third in the world after Paris and Milan.

“Indonesia is growing, and a lot of people are going abroad, so they’re familiar with [Western] brands and trends,” said Ali Charisma, vice president of the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association. “Indonesian men are taking time to dress well and look good because it’s relevant now.”

Thrunk’s design team is responding to meet the changing style needs of modern Indonesian men. The brand, which caters to career-minded professionals with a youthful spirit, is available at SIR, a multi-brand men’s only clothing store in Kebayoran Baru,South Jakarta, in addition Tribute and the Goods Department.

“I think there’s a market for us to dress a certain man,” said Pasha Prakasa, the line’s business development director. “The Thrunk man parties because he is successful. It’s a balance between work and play, and our clothes are like that. You can work in them and you can play in them.”

Even the name Thrunk captures the clothing line’s youthful vigor.

“Thrunk means the state of being at your highest peak. It’s also the state of being extremely drunk when you go out with your friends on a Saturday night,” Pasha said with a laugh.

“Of course, we don’t interpret it that way. We wanted a catchy name, and Thrunk just sounded right.”

The menswear line, which launched its first collection in October 2010, is the joint effort of four friends. Managing director Tania Irawan and marketing communications director Hariman Halim wanted to start a business that would allow them to combine their creativity and love of fashion. Dansyah, an experienced menswear designer, then came on board as a designer and creative genius, and the concept of Thrunk started to take shape in April 2010. With a similar vision, Prakasa joined three months later.

“The first collection was actually launched online through our Web site, and it got the attention of Tribute [a multi-store boutique] a few months later. It expanded from there to the Goods Department,” Pasha said. “The sales exceeded our expectations. We weren’t ready in terms of our stock and production.”

Thrunk carries menswear basics, such as shirts, blazers and pants, with a stylish twist that allows for a smooth transition from office hours to after hours. The designs are inspired by classic looks, with some quirky details thrown in for extra flavor.

“We want to make our clothes wearable and relevant, but we don’t want them to look generic,” Hariman said.

And generic they are not. Take Thrunk’s version of the classic barrel cuff, also known as a button cuff. Dansyah cuts deep into the cuff near the button hole to give it a distinctive, but not distracting, look.

“When you’re wearing a shirt with long sleeves and cuffs, it’s a bit hard to see your watch because the cuff’s flat edge often covers watch’s face,” Dansyah said. “With the half circle at the end of the cuff, you can see your watch more easily.”

Even the functional fabrics used to make Thrunk’s best-selling Fit Trip shirts have a modern look. The shirts are made out of cotton, but with the slightest hint of a sheen.

“It’s cotton so it’s low maintenance and it doesn’t require any special treatment,” Tania said. “But that slight sheen makes it a bit more special, so you can take it from day to night.”

This attention to detail sets Thrunk apart from other brands, as does its local construction.

“All fabrics are sourced here,” Tania said. “The designs are Indonesian and the labor is also Indonesian.”

Teddy Hamzah, the smartly-dressed founder of Haute Lister Lifestyle Management, feel menswear lines like Thrunk are a breath of fresh air in Indonesia’s fashion scene.

“It’s one of the first Indonesian labels to provide men’s clothing with the look and feel that are comparable to the western counterpart,” Teddy said. “This is definitely something that we can be proud of.”

With two successful collections completed, Thrunk is now working on The Grand Collection, set to launch late this year and complete with a fashion show. Featuring darker colors, sleek blazers and geometric lines, the collection is taking a decidedly more mature approach, including its accessories.

One of the highlights of the collection will be Dansyah’s take on the bow tie.

“I’m going to design 10 different types of bow ties for The Grand Collection,” Dansyah said excitedly. “When you see the bow ties in the department stories, it’s just classic bow ties and I’m kind of sick of it. This is going to be different.”

The cliche “Clothes make the man” may be an exaggerated and overused one, but according to Hariman, it is a truth that is starting to resonate with Indonesian males.

“If the clothes can make a man look good and feel good, they make a better man,” Hariman said. “And Thrunk has definitely got the clothes.”

Last month Shaineal Shah, one of the crowning jewels at last year’s Chocolate Show, opened Xocolatti, his first boutique chocolateria, in the heart of SoHo. Here, in his 150-square- foot space stocked floor to ceiling with his trademark green and brown boxes, Shah sells hand-made chocolate and other sweet treats that bear more of a resemblance to glimmering jewelry pieces than candy.

Instead of going into the jewelry and diamond business, which his family has been a part of for three generations, Shah ventured into chocolate. Like the name Xocolatti, which is a creative spin on the Aztec word for chocolate, Shah’s truffles and slates are a twist on the traditional favorite. Paying homage to his Indian heritage and his world travels, Shah incorporates unorthodox ingredients, such as paprika, saffron and sake, into his creations.

Shah places an emphasis on re-imagining chocolate – from combining unusual flavors, to dusting and coating each truffle by hand with shimmering dust and sparkles.

Hit play to get see Shah describe his inspiration for the concept of Xocolatti, and get a look at the space along with some of his hand-made gems.

Xocolatti; 172 Prince Street; 212-256-0332

With its formidable thorn-covered husk, sweet custard-like flesh and distinctive smell — with descriptions ranging from the milder “rotten, mushy onions” by “Bizarre Foods” host Andrew Zimmern, to the more noxious: “Your breath will smell as if you’d been French-kissing your dead grandmother,” by “No Reservations” host Anthony Bourdain — one thing is for certain:

There is no other fruit on earth quite like the durian.

From December to February, some areas of Southeast Asia celebrate a secondary durian season, after the main one from June to August. Melaka, on the Malaysian coast half way betwen Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, is a mecca for foodies and history buffs alike, and it fairly brims with durian in numerous varieties, shapes and sizes.

But if the thought of nibbling on a slimy, yellow orb that smells like a latrine makes you want to retch, don’t fret. Click through the gallery for 10 ways you can get your durian fix without running for the bucket.

When we look at images of ourselves, what we see determines our self-esteem. We cannot control what we see in the mirror, but we can control what others see on social media networks, such as Facebook. In the self esteem debate, which has more positive impact – the mirror or the Wall?

Suridh Hassan packed in a lifetime of travel before he reached the age of 13. The filmmaker and author’s travels have included Cuba, Israel, Russia and Taiwan, and his multiethnic background, coupled with his wanderlust, has turned him into a socially conscious documentary maker, producing films that delve into different cultures.

After living in Cambodia for the past year, the British-born Hassan has come to Jakarta, where he plans to immerse himself in the city’s creative arts scene, produce films and rediscover his Indonesian roots.

Suridh, you recently moved to Jakarta from Siem Reap. Why did you make the move? 

Moving to Jakarta was an easy decision. I’ve got a massive community of friends here and I am half-Indonesian, so I wanted to know the place and where I’m from. I see Jakarta as a gateway to the other regions of this archipelago, because I want to travel to Sulawesi, Flores, Papua and Timor as well.

What do you think of the city so far? 

Jakarta’s cool. It’s pretty multicultural, 100 percent, compared to a lot of cities. People have a nice mix of religion and culture here, and in Jakarta people tend to get along. Jakarta is also a bit of an attraction because its got a huge creative industry. So if you’re making films or if you’re into art and music, which is what I do, for me, it’s only Tokyo and Jakarta that have that kind of vibe.

How did you get into filmmaking? 

I’ve always wanted to make films, ever since I was 16, but I really got into it when I was in college. I wasn’t particularly good at school, but I discovered a subject called media studies where I got to pick up a camera, run around North London, film things, put together little ideas that incorporated politics and other subjects, and I was like, ‘Oh wow, I’m actually into something.’ I just connected with this, and took it from there.

What kind of films do you like to make? 

I’m quite a bit into reporting. I want to present certain issues, ideas and agendas to people. So whether we make a film about the trafficking of young African footballers or we make a film about a London music scene, it’s trying to present a certain scene, perspectives and subcultures to the audience. I come from this school of thought where, basically, if everyone’s going in one direction, go in the opposite. There are all these facets and places in the world to do stories, and it’s much more fascinating to do something against the grain.

Tell us about your latest film. 

It’s called ‘Soka Afrika.’ The film is currently on its screening tour in Barcelona and New York. The film is mainly about how young African football players make it in Europe. My business partner, Ryo, and I came up with this idea to make the film after we noticed that trafficking of footballers happens quite a lot . We followed two under-20 footballers; one was your typical superstar fast-tracked to fame in Holland, and the other player was essentially illegally trafficked as a youngster to Paris. It was such a huge idea, and we wanted to do it for the launch of the World Cup. Unfortunately we didn’t get it done in time as it just wasn’t possible to get the depth that we wanted.

What inspired you to make ‘Soka Afrika’? 

Ryo and I were involved with an NGO in the UK called Alive and Kicking. The organization would hitch up in Africa, where they would make leather footballs. After about a year and a half, they would integrate people living in the area and step back and let them take over. It’s an interesting organization because they’re creating these little macro-economies. From working with them on a small film, we wanted to do something about football, and we just kept happening on the trafficking issue.

How did you find the characters? 

Just research. If you do your research online, you can find out that there are many stories about this.

How has your background and upbringing influenced your work? 

I suppose just me being half-Indonesian, a quarter Indian and a quarter Swedish, culture and religions always played a massive part in my growing up. When I was young, I traveled a lot, and I respect my mum for that. I was lucky enough to go to India a lot and Europe and the Middle East quite a bit until I turned about 12 or 13. So I traveled massively until I was that age, which is why now I travel a lot myself. It all contributes to me wanting to do more socially conscious work, something a little bit more relevant.

What do you hope to accomplish during your time in Jakarta? 

I’d like to stay a year, and kind of use Indonesia as a testing ground for my ideas. I want to make a short film that explores Jakarta’s daily life in detail. From taxi drivers and bajaj drivers to a parking attendant. I’d love to do something to incorporate their world into the little subgroups of Jakarta and how they all fit together.

Suridh Hassan was talking to Debra Pangestu.

Read the full article here, or in The Jakarta Globe. 

Tucked in the highlands of West Java, away from the endless hustle engulfing Jakarta, tea estates harkening back to the Dutch colonial period have become Indonesia’s answer to France’s famed vineyards or California’s Napa Valley.

Providing getaway seekers with a chance to savor a different world, these tea estates are drawing city dwellers and foreigners looking for a taste of something out of the ordinary.

“Tea plantation tours offer something different,” said Jimmi Lapotulo, a visitor at the Goalpara Tea Estate in Sukabumi. “The natural beauty, the fragrance of tea leaves, the fresh air breeze — you can’t really find places like this anywhere else.”

Indonesia’s introduction to tea came in the 18th century, courtesy of the Dutch colonialists. Java’s tea industry was painstakingly cultivated by Dutchman Jacobus Isidorus Lonevijk Levien Jacobson, who arrived in Jakarta, then Batavia, in 1827. For six years, Jacobson made exhaustive trips to China to bring back seeds, plants, workmen and materials, until he was able to start a tea plantation in Bogor. The Indonesian tea industry continued to grow, and now the country is the fifth largest producer of tea in the world.

But it wasn’t until the late 1980s that these tea estates began drawing tourists, thanks to a collaborative initiative by the Indonesian government, state-owned plantations and travel bureaus.

Tea fields have been turned into hiking trails, hilly paths are dotted with mountain cyclists, processing factories offer educational and tasting tours and colonial homes are now charming guesthouses. Here, vacationers can travel back to a bygone era and partake in ecological adventures without ever having to set foot on an airplane.

Today, there are more than 30 state-owned tea plantations in West Java and a handful of them are tapping into the growing tourism market.

“Developing tourism at other plantations was simple because the infrastructure was already in place,” said Ali, a spokesman for Goalpara. “Malabar has a big colonial mansion and is close to a hot spring, and Gunung Mas is located at a high altitude, so it’s perfect for adventure sports.” Gunung Mas is another tea estate.

Goalpara’s high production targets mean it doesn’t have the time to promote agrotourism as much as other estates, but Ali said tourists, both locals and foreigners, do make their way to the plantation.

“Locals like to come here to escape the noisy city life,” Ali said. “Here, they can do lots of outdoor recreational activities — picnics, trekking, enjoying the cool weather and the view. It’s all very refreshing.”

According to Ali, tea estates are also popular getaway spots for European tourists, who enjoy the old-world charm.

“Most of the [foreign] tourists come from the Netherlands, because most of these plantations used to be owned by the Dutch,” Ali said. “Coming to the tea plantations is like a way for them to preserve the memory of their ancestors. There’s an emotional connection.”

Unlike a lot of ecotourism, which focuses on adventure travel, tea plantation tours are more relaxed. Vacationers can choose to participate in leisurely “tea walks” around the estate, accompanied by cool breezes and the scent of flowering shrubs.

At Malabar Tea Estate in Pangalengan, walkers can head to the nearby hot spring afterward to soak their tired muscles; Gunung Mas in Puncak has a swimming pool where hikers can cool off.

However, adventurous vacationers, seeking more than just rest and relaxation, will also find plenty of activities to keep them occupied. The sloping, winding paths of the plantations provide a perfect backdrop for challenging treks and mountain biking, while tea estates at higher elevations like Gunung Mas offers adrenaline junkies the chance to paraglide over Puncak’s rolling green hills.

In addition to refugees from the city and adventurers, West Java’s tea estates are also drawing visitors with their educational tours.

“Coming here is not just about relaxation, but also about education,” Jimmi said. “You drink tea every day, but a lot of us don’t know how it gets from the earth to our tea cup.”

Senari has worked at Gunung Mas for 35 years and now leads tours around the processing facility and the plantation.

“We get a lot of young tourists also,” Senari said. “Parents would come visit for the weekend, bring back the tea, and their kids would want to come for themselves to see how it was made.”

Tea estates like Goalpara and Gunung Mas have tours that allow visitors to walk through the shrubs (some close to 100 years old), partake in the tea picking process, observe tea production and packaging, and sample the estate’s teas.

Many tour operators now offer tea-tasting getaways, which include transportation and accommodation at a colonial plantation house, but escaping to these tea estates is simple to do on your own. All it takes is a three-hour drive from Jakarta, and, if you can make it through the traffic, you’ll find yourself up in the cool hills, raising a steaming cup of antioxidants in salute to the charms of tea-estate culture.

“I like to go on ecotours because it’s about preserving our natural wonders,” Jimmi said. “It’s about nurturing the environment and getting away from it all. It makes me feel younger every time I go.”

Additional reporting by Astrid Paramitha Lyssens & Lauren Zumbach.

Goalpara Tea Estate
Jl. Raya Goalpara, 43/92
Sukabumi
Tel: 026 622 1500
E-mail: gt1.goalpara@gmail.com

Malabar Tea Estate
Pangalengan, Bandung
Tel: 022 253 4517, 022 250 2049

Read the full article here, or in The Jakarta Globe. 

Nestled in the heart of South Jakarta’s Kebayoran Baru, Birdcage has in recent months emerged from a renovation that may help its popularity soar. The laid-back venue has long catered to lunchers, though it is perhaps better as a place to find night owls seeking a late-night drink. Now it has added another reason to drop in by transforming its ground floor into a casual coffee shop.

Birdcage is split into three levels, each with a different vibe fostered by its decor. The newly redesigned ground floor uses gingham tablecloths and white shelves lined with ceramic cookie jars to create a warm and homey atmosphere.

“With the new coffee shop, we wanted to create a more casual feel so people can get breakfast and lunch here,” said Dodi Saputra, the venue’s manager.

Move upstairs, and the atmosphere is transformed. Up a flight of wooden stairs, the first floor opens up to a large space decorated with flowing white drapery, plush orange sofas and a long bar. Calming acoustic music flows through the speakers, and the candlelit space creates an intimate, cabin feel.

The decor here had an earlier makeover to enclose part of an open-air terrace with heavy glass windows to reduce street noise and createa light but cosy observatory feel.

Up another flight of stairs, the top floor is the cherry atop the architectural cake.  The small attic has an even more comforting feel, again with plush sofas and a sloped ceiling, adorned with hanging wooden birdcages. The space is only open on weekends.

“This floor is often used for private parties. Many of our customers will rent the entire top floor for themselves,” Saputra said.

Birdcage is modeled on the gastropubs of Europe and North America, meaning the focus is as much on the bar as the kitchen. It offers a menu of classic Italian comfort food coupled with an extensive list of inventive drinks that patrons can enjoy accompanied by live acoustic music on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday nights.

In addition to offering sophisticated versions of Italian classics such as pizza, pasta and panini, as well as European pub staples such as fish and chips, patrons can also dine on nasi goreng kampung or wagyu beef.

“The menu is predominantly Italian. But due to requests for more variety, we added more Asian meals,” Saputra said.

The crowning gem of Birdcage is its impressive drinks menu, which includes classic cocktails — margaritas and mojitos among them — and non-alcoholic drinks through to more creative concoctions. Customers can whet their whistles on distinctive creations such as the Toblerone, a creamy cocktail made of vodka, Kahlua and chocolate syrup, or the Kiwi Cooling Motion, made of kiwi fruit blended with mascarpone, vanilla, vodka and mint.

Although Birdcage initially attracted a predominantly expat crowd when it opened, Saputra says more locals are joining its clientele. “Most of our clients are young and come from an upper middle-class background,” he said.

Like most restaurants, Birdcage is busiest on the weekend. On Friday and Saturday nights, the two top levels of Birdcage buzz with conversation over dinner and cocktails. Saputra says it gets crowded later in the evening, with new batches of customers arriving close to midnight to enjoy a few drinks.

Asked how the name Birdcage came about, Saputra smiles.
“When one of the owners said she wanted to rent the place, a few locals in the area said, ‘Oh, the place that looks like a birdcage?’” he said.

Saputra added that the nickname likely stemmed from the restaurant’s location, surrounded by dense trees. The name stuck for the owner, who decided to build the restaurant around the birdcage theme — wooden interior, homely feel and plenty of hanging cages.

With its comfortable wooden interior and secluded location deep inside Kebayoran Baru, Birdcage offers a rare getaway from the city’s commotion.

Its renovation has only increased the appeal of the restaurant, making it an afternoon destination as well as a late-night hotspot.

Article appeared in the July 5, 2011 edition of The Jakarta Globe. 

Bandung. They might have been more accustomed to creating their works shrouded in secrecy, but over the weekend some of the nation’s most skilled graffiti artists had the chance to show off their technique.

Close to 600 enthusiasts gathered at the People’s Struggle Monument in northern Bandung on Saturday to watch street artists compete at the national qualifying event for the Wall Lords Graffiti Battle 2011, Asia’s largest graffiti competition.

“There’s two sides to graffiti, both art and vandalism,” said Cheztwo, an organizer of the event. “This competition is helping to promote graffiti as more than just vandalism. It’s art.”

For 10 hours, the parking lot of the monument was taken over by curious spectators, graffiti crews and a large music stage presided over by DJs and local hip-hop artists. Despite the afternoon heat, crowds kicked back to watch Indonesia’s top crews go through an untold number of boxes of spray paint as graffiti masterpieces took shape.

Asia’s graffiti scene took off after it was introduced as part of 1990s rap culture, and it rapidly progressed from indecipherable scribbled names to the high-concept creations and perfected technique on display in Bandung.

In Indonesia, graffiti only recently became a part of the contemporary arts scene, and according to Cheztwo, competitions like Wall Lords are helping to elevate it to high art.

Numerous teams submitted portfolios for the competition, but only seven teams representing several cities throughout the archipelago – Makassar, Surabaya, Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bandung – were selected based on their creativity and mastery of technique.

Ultimately, it was Jakarta’s MASE Crew (Mad Artists Striking Existence) that clinched the title and the chance to represent the country at the Southeast Asian finals in Taiwan this December. Yogyakarta’s EVE Crew and Glory Road Crew rounded out the top three.

MASE Crew’s Tutu said he had competed in about five other competitions. “But this is the toughest,, because this is the golden era for graffiti. Graffiti is booming, and I think it’s a good way to show what we’ve got.”

Wall Lords competitors, Cheztwo, explained, are assessed on their technique, lettering and creative vision.

“This competition is unique because there are so many points, structure, letters, and you must do a layout in your head and paint the layout on the spot,” Cheztwo said. “Yeah, you have sketches, but on the spot is a different atmosphere. All the crowds, people are watching you.”

Wall Lords was founded in 2010 by a Hong Kong graffiti artist to showcase the creative side of Asia’s now-ubiquitous street art, and to expose artists to top “taggers” throughout Asia.

Dutch graffiti artist Does LoveLetters, who kicked off the day’s competition with a live mural painting, said that although Europe had a long graffiti history, Asia was catching up fast.

“In Europe, there’s a huge graffiti arts scene. Here, it’s still developing, and I think this competition will really help to develop artists here,” he said.

Olli Fraenkel, a German graffiti artist and arts consultant, was also confident that the street arts community would continue to thrive, adding that he thought Indonesians had an innate creative edge.

“Indonesia has a lot of people who are really talented,” Fraenkel said. “It’s just a question of time. They will learn it, and I think this Asian Wall Lords event might take two more years and Indonesia will win it every year.”

For Tutu, winning the qualifier was much more than just the prize money or the chance to go to Taiwan. “It’s about graffiti, Indonesian graffiti.”