independent and savvy, the populo store has long time been a popular hang-out for jakarta hipsters. the shop relocated to homey new premises in the neighbourhood earlier this month, assuring its kebayoran baru area fanbase easy access in this traffic-clogged megalopolis. the new store measures 300 sqm. spread over two floors and features a contemporary mix of d.i.y.-chic furniture + displays, some balinese pieces and striking sculptures of local urban art hero darbotz. mind you, the store also has a sunny outdoor terrace and pool!

still on top of the game, populo’s current selection of brands includes fred perry’s laurel + raf simons lines, chris & tibor bags, kiminori morishita, ann demeulemeester and tom ford’s coveted shades. location: jalan gandaria tengah 2 no. 5 [kebayoran baru].




© populo

opening on sat - jul 10 at galeri salihara is wall street arts, an exhibition of works by graffiti artists from jakarta and paris. participating artists include bujangan urban, ceet, darbotz, colorz and nsane5. mind you, on tue - jul 13 [4pm] there’ll be the graffiti asia book launch + movie screening and a talk about ‘graffiti as part of subculture movement’ with rolling stone editor wendy putranto. location: jalan salihara 16 [pasar minggu].

note: click image for more info

dj set: steve aoki
date: wed - may 5 [10pm]
location: domain bar + grill, panin tower, jalan asia afrika 19 [semanggi]

supergig: peaches + shit robot
support dj lineup: rogers room, egrv, ken adhitya
date: fri – apr 16 [from 8pm]
location: indochine, fx lifestyle x’nter, 8th floor, jalan sudirman [ semanggi]

since its inception last year brightspot market has quickly established itself as the hottest showcase for cool fashion brands to expose their merchandise and the place of choice for savvy young jakartans to snap it up instantly. the next edition is held on mar 11-14 [11am-11pm] and once again a slew of brands will offer their finest. next to that there’ll be a special charity vintage sale to raise funds for yayasan emmanuel, a local institute that provides aid to children and communities in need. location: pacific place, jalan sudirman 52-53, south lobby [semanggi].

jakarta-based graphic designer + graffiti artist darbotz has a new show. his monster goes out at night exhibition opens at d gallerie on fri – mar 5 [7pm]. be there or be square! location: jalan barito I no. 3 [kebayoran baru].

artist pinkgirlgowild has a solo show coming up, kicking off at the fashion first store on wed – feb 3 [3pm-6pm]. simultaneously she will introduce her new piyiko character. location: senayan city mall, jalan asia afrika 17 [senayan].

the kids at rottenfresh have released a fresh series of tees with graphics that look good and one-liners that make you think. choose from five different designs to spruce up the coming spring season! click here to view this kooky new collection and other goodies.



© rottenfresh

headlining dj: prins thomas
date: sat – jan 23 [10pm]
location: buddha bar, jalan teuku umar 1 [menteng].
support dj lineup: anton wirjono, hogi, audie, rayzar, merdi, dipha

celebrating its first anniversary, graffiti + urban culture mag invasian teams up with various asian brands for collab projects. in indonesia it joins forces with streetwear brand wadezig to produce a limited-edition pair of jeans. these will be exclusively available at wadezig’s flagship stores in jakarta [1] and bandung [2]. location 1: jalan lamandau 4 no. 18 [kebayoran baru]. location 2: jalan sultan agung 7 [bandung pusat].

party: pink is punk presented by rottenfresh
date: sat - dec 12 [from 9.30pm]
location: buddha bar, jalan teuku umar 1 [menteng].
dj lineup: pink is punk, aditrnrm, boodi haze

party: face hunter x brightspotmarket party
date: wed – nov 4 [9pm-late]
location: 365 eco bar, jalan kemang raya 6 [kemang]
dj lineup: e.g.r.v., agrikulture
dress code: totally snap-a-licious…so dress to impress!

to the delight of fashionistas luxury cobbler manolo blahnik opened a shop-in-shop at the harvey nichols flagship in downtown jakarta. designed by london-based data nature associates, the interior is based on the concept of a woven surface and transforms it to create walls that peal and fold to form a the privacy screen to the main shop floor. the vertical weave elements are fabricated using laminated plywood while the horizontal elements are natural hide clad metal tubes. location: grand indonesia, east mall, jalan thamrin 1 [menteng].



© data nature associates

retail showcase brightspot market successfully launched earlier this year, bringing savvy jakartans a slew of all things cool. the second edition is held sep 10-14 and will once again see many cool showcases and exclusive firsts by indonesian and foreign retailers, designers and brands. location: grand indonesia, west mall, 5th floor, jalan thamrin 1 [menteng].

jakarta designer nina nikicio continues to come up with interesting urbanwear for generation now. shown below are three looks from the the dreamers s/s 10 collection for second line oneandahalf. there’s a modern approach to the designs: the focus is comfort and versatility, making many of the items wearable for both sexes. the oneandahalf line is available at selected stores in southeast asia, including to the nines [singapore], tribute [jakarta] and eatshop [bali].





© nikicio

so you’re a dashing young executive who’s going to great lengths to find the ultimate gift for the has-it-all missus. what else to spoil her with than a one-of-a-kind, delicately decorated hermès birkin bag? this unique true love trophy bag was customized by jakarta-based urban artist pinkgirlgowild who used a laser technique to apply the intricate heart-shaped decorations on the leather.



note: click image to enlarge

pssst…our jakarta spy tells us the kids had big fun with pink is punk’s dj andrea. his very first dj set in town last weekend at barcode had the crowd begging for more. check out the party pics on rottenfresh.



© rottenfresh

brace yourself jakarta! milan’s kooky pink is punk lands at barcode on sun - aug 2 [10pm]. support lineup includes the club’s resident deejays and the teenage illionaires. location: la codefin building, jalan kemang raya 8, 3rd floor [kemang].

popular brit soccer team manchester united cancelled its highly-anticipated first ever visit to indonesia due to the recent hotel bombings in jakarta. the visit had inspired low-income street vendors to massively produce manchester united tees and they lost a considerable amount of money when it was cancelled.

the local bolbal initiative [bolbal is slang for bolak balik or reversible] was launched to come to the vendors’ aid by buying the tees, printing the logo of #indonesiaunite, a civil movement against terrorism, on the reverse side and resell for charity. the tee is exclusively available at the wadezig store. location: jalan lamandau IV no. 18 [kebayoran baru].



© bolbal

anyone interested in urban art should attend the massive *respect* event on sun - jul 26 [2pm-10pm] at jakarta’s taman ismail marzuki. many of the city’s leading artists will either exhibit or participate in panel discussions and there are lots of other activities as well. location: jassin center, jalan cikini raya 73 [menteng].

once a quiet backwater in terms of fashion, jakarta has steadily climbed the hipness ladder, challenging regional shopping towns like singapore, kuala lumpur and hong kong with an ever growing number of cool retail spots. next one opening, on sat - jun 13 [7pm-11pm] to be precise, is tribute.

located in suburban south jakarta, the streetwear store features a string of edgy brands from across the planet, including cheap monday, slow and steady wins the race and complex geometries. location: jalan wijaya 10 no. 23 [kebayoran baru].

jakarta’s lomo community jumped for joy when its very own lomography embassy recently opened. the new spot launched with the week-long asian lomography faces, an exhibition of photos taken by lomo embassies in the asia-pacific region. location: jalan bumi 17 [kebayoran baru].



© lomography embassy jakarta

retail showcase brightspot market successfully launched earlier this year, bringing savvy jakartans a slew of all things cool. the second edition is held sep 10-14 and will once again see many cool showcases and exclusive firsts by indosian designers and labels. location: grand indonesia, west mall, 5th floor, jalan thamrin 1 [menteng].

this concept is pretty new to jakarta: a savvy consignment store where to purchase or dispose of cool wannahaves of any kind. opening sun - apr 19, we predict the new archive store will rapidly become collector central. location: jalan taman kemang 30 [kemang].



© archive store

the travelling design show tangible traces - dutch architecture and design in the making launched at erasmus huis a few days ago [on until mar 27]. the show focuses on the meaning of architecture and design in a world that is now defined by globalization, standardization and commercialization. on display are works by various designers and design offices, including alexander van slobbe, claudy jongstra and onix architects. location: jalan rasuna said s-3 [kuningan].


© allard van der hoek / photo: polder sofa by hella jongerius

this should be great fun. we’re talking the indonesia hari ini [indonesia today] exhibition at alun alun indonesia, opening there sun – feb 15 [3pm]. presented by this store and tee brand magic happens, a series of works by a range of emerging artists and other creatives are on display. participants include eko bintang, anton ismael and poei oei. location: grand indonesia mall, west wing, level 3, jalan thamrin 1 [menteng].

the jakarta biennale kicked off last november but there are still interesting art shows to be seen at venues across town [until mar 2009]. called arena, this 13th edition highlights the issue of public space and is divided into three sub-thematic categories: the comprehension zone, the battle zone and the melting zone.

each zone is a gradual stage that will help the participating artists produce artworks relevant to the chosen theme and the public to understand the artistic expression of urban problems.

© jakarta biennale

the new uniform of jakarta fashionistas? designer nina nikicio’s latest design project 03 resulted in four kooky variations on the classic tee that cleverly stimulate you to further customize the look. available at selected stores in jakarta and singapore and online.

it’s the final week of tisna sanjaya’s ideocrazy exhibition at galeri nasional [until dec 31]. known for expressive and often outspoken artwork, what’s on display here are a series of paintings exploring the theme of violence in politics, religion and the environment. location: jalan medan merdeka timur 14 [menteng].


tisna sanjaya / amnesia cultura

creative studio and store a.o.d. opens its doors for avid followers to view its new apparel collections on sat - dec 20 [from 7pm]. drinks and discounts, people! location: jalan panglima polim 5 no. 38 [kebayoran baru].