March 18^th 2017

I went to the only fashion museum in Jakarta. It is located in Cipete, beside Cilandak Town Square. You will notice this beautiful building right away if you’re on the right track. The tour will begin at 9 am.  I arrived there at about 8am. You have to come at least 15 minutes before 9am, because the front door will be closed automatically once the tour begins. You can not go in if you are late.

This beautiful museum-like castle made from Harry Darsono’s design when he was only 9 years old. He used to communicate by drawing when he was mute and deaf  because of his hypersensitive sensory neurotransmitters.

Harry Darsono fashion museum is a private museum that tells story of Harry Darsono’s life, what he had been through from the toughest time of his life,  what he had achieved, and finally completed his life mission. Click this link to know about Harry Darsono’s childhood. Harry Darsono will be the guide for the museum tour.

Harry Darsono is a haute couture British designer born in Indonesia. Haute couture is a needlework made by hand and the garment is a special request from certain people. He really pays attention to details. He always designs a garment by seeing the characters of the wearer.  Young adult Darsono was admitted to the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied six majors to channel his excessive energy: painting, sculpting, relief carving, haute couture, textile arts, and stage costumes. You can find all his artwork in the museum.

There’s always a story behind his handmade art. He really put his heart, his feeling, and his mind into the final piece. When he was in the time of getting therapy for ADHD, he realized that he could find calmness in doing thread spinning. So that he did that and created silk cocoons. He loves vibrant colors. His garments are rich in color and texture. His fabric is made from threads that are woven by hands. He ever made a garment from 185 colors in threads, and it was all done by himself.

In the first floor of his museum, we are enchanted  his haute couture garment that he made for princesses of some countries. “Cloth without woman  is nothing”, said Harry Darsono. I agree with him. Woman  makes garment become special. It gives character, confident, and power.

All his garments are hand stitched. There is a dress that he created for two years. And the result is WOW. He said that hand stitched garment will last longer than machine stitched. Can you imagine that his garment from over 40 years ago still look as good as its first released?

He is not only creating haute couture, but also art wear. The difference is that art wear cannot be worn. It is an art that expresses through garment. When little Harry couldn’t buy beads for garment decoration, he collected all bones that he ever ate to create a small white stone beads. He went to dentist only to get the bones shaped like white stone beads. So amazingly creative.

His haute couture and art wear design mostly has different motifs between the left and right side of the garment. He made it to describe that the size of right and left human’s eyebrow are different. And so are the other body parts.

He can play piano, harp, trumpet, and there are something else. He can play various musical instruments in a song by himself. He is extraordinary.

During his tour, his not only explain about the stuffs he collected and gave, but also he tell us about life lessons. I admire him so much. He is also inspiring. He once told that human is like a ship. There are two things that will bother ship when it is sailed, they are wind and waves. Wind is like people’s whisper that always distract our mind, for example like, he said that… she said that… my neighbor said that….

And the waves that described the fear that we always afraid of. It distracts our soul. Afraid of being unsuccessful, not getting a job, etc.

He also told us that watch your mouth. You are what you are, you are what you eat.

Mr Harry Darsono is a purely designer. He made some designs for stages, from the construction until the interior. He also designed agro wisata train, airplane, bank color and symbol, dining furniture, some furniture that are sold in scope.

At the end of the tour, he played us piano featuring used to be street violin player that he found on simatupang street.

There are some points that I want to tell you guys that I learned from this 4 hours museum tour with Mr Harry Darsono.

Life is full of test and problems. It is something you have to face and solve. Life is not as easy as it might be. You must go through ups and down in reaching your dream. You have to be focus in completing your life’s mission.

Mr Harry Darsono said that he never believe in talent. You have to work hard, determined, focus.

“First, we must learn to change perspective in order to emphatize so we can see things in a broader dimension. Second, we must always learn from mistakes. Third, we need to reform that is always improving ourselves everyday. Fourth, how to create. Better to do something, working, helping others. The last station of the creation is sincere” -Harry Darsono