Laras Andriyani, an ESMOD Pro Jakarta alumna from Bogor, Indonesia, has brought her work to the international fashion stage. Through her wearable art piece, Silent Luminous: The Spirit of Saint Joan of Arc, Laras won the 2026 Avant-Garde Award at the Australian Wearable Art Festival 2026 in Australia.
As part of her creative journey, Laras participated in a short course at ESMOD Pro for several months. The experience became part of her creative journey, allowing her to further develop her fashion skills while exploring different techniques and materials to create work with a distinctive character.
Laras shared:
She also explained:
The experience was also an unforgettable one for Sherly, a professional practitioner and teacher at ESMOD Pro Jakarta, who accompanied Laras and witnessed her journey throughout the programs.
Behind Silent Luminous: The Spirit of Saint Joan of Arc is a story of courage, resilience, and women’s empowerment.
Laras drew inspiration from Saint Joan of Arc, who is widely known for her courage, conviction, and determination. Through this work, Laras aims to convey the message that every woman deserves the freedom, confidence, and opportunity to make her own choices and shape her future.
For Laras, fashion is not only about visual appearance. It can also serve as a medium to communicate stories and ideas. Through its forms, textures, and materials, Silent Luminous expresses the strength of women without having to communicate it directly through words.
One of the key elements of Laras’s creation is her innovative use of materials. She uses pineapple leaf fibres, which are often discarded after the pineapple harvest.
The pineapple leaf fibres are processed using traditional spinning techniques to create yarn. Laras then transforms the yarn into handmade crochet elements, which become an integral part of the overall design.
In addition to pineapple leaf fibres, Laras combines repurposed jacquard fabric with various leftover production materials. These include buttons, beads, Swarovski crystals, discarded bobbin cases, and leftover materials from the Made to Measure Atelier workshop.
The use of these materials reflects Laras’s approach to sustainability. Materials that were previously considered unusable are given new purpose and value through creativity, craftsmanship, and design exploration.
Through Silent Luminous, Laras brings together sustainability, craftsmanship, and storytelling in a single wearable art piece.
The transformation of agricultural waste and leftover materials into fashion also carries a deeper meaning. For Laras, the process represents how something that may initially be considered without value can be transformed into something with strength, beauty, and meaning.
This message connects closely with the concept of women’s empowerment that serves as the central inspiration for the work. Silent Luminous reflects the courage to adapt, persevere, and transform challenges into opportunities.
Laras’s achievement at the Australian Wearable Art Festival 2026 is a proud milestone and highlights the potential of Indonesian fashion talent on the international stage.
Starting from Bogor, Indonesia, Laras continued to develop her creative journey through the ESMOD Pro Jakarta program. After completing short courses in Tailoring and Wedding Gown, she continued exploring different design approaches and materials, eventually creating a work that received recognition in Australia.
Her achievement also serves as an inspiration for ESMOD Jakarta students and alumni to continue exploring ideas, experimenting with materials, and developing their own creative identities.
Through Silent Luminous: The Spirit of Saint Joan of Arc, Laras demonstrates that fashion can be more than a visual object. By combining storytelling, craftsmanship, material exploration, and sustainability, a fashion piece can express a personal voice while communicating ideas that resonate on a broader, global stage.
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