one of distros in jakarta

Tebet, a cluster residential area east of South Jakarta, might not have Bandung’s cool climate nor its elegant art deco buildings, but it does have its young and energetic personality.

Welcome to Jakarta’s own little Bandung!. Anissa S. Febrina explains more:

The secondary streets on the east and west sides of the area are jammed with cafes and boutiques.

“Endorse”, “nanonine house”, “deJons burger”, read the signs on a corner of Tebet where the waiters and shop assistants are often years ahead of their customers in the fashion stakes.

Other areas of Jakarta might be every bit as “out there”, but they lack the Paris-van-Java feel of Tebet and its distros (distribution stores).

The concept of (supposedly) alternative clothing stores took off in Bandung well before making it to the capital city.

“If you want to be one of a kind, you shop at distribution stores. No one else will be wearing the things you buy here,” said college student Nabila Djanti, who was working her way through a rack of tight T-shirts at a Tebet distro last week.

Besides the distros, young people spend most of their free time in the cafes — which are unbeatable see-and-be-seen spots and give them the chance to try out catwalk looks in real life.

During the day, the dress code is school uniform as students often drop by after classes. But at night, especially on weekends, teenagers get the opportunity to strut their stuff — including the retro shirts and frocks they bought at the nearby distros.

It was not until a couple of years ago that the commercial strips of Tebet were given a new lease on life. It started when the popular crowd and the arty kids felt that driving all the way to hang-out hubs in other parts of South Jakarta was all too much effort.

“The area’s market (for burgers) has been very good. There are a lot of college students and young workers in the area,” said
Daniel, the owner of a burger booth on Jl. Tebet Barat Dalam.

It is probably true that urban sprawl has created a market opportunity for those “in the know” about Indonesians’ great love of eating, hanging out and shopping.

But, then again, Tebet offers more than that.

Previously a forest-like area, Tebet’s population grew when residents of Senayan, South Jakarta, were relocated to the area in 1959 to make way for the development of a sports complex.

Old houses in Tebet represent the style of architecture typical of mass settlements of the 1960s with “pop out” window boxes.

No one knows for certain how the area got its name, but one thing is for sure, population-wise it is a rich heterogeneous settlement.

There is the established Tebet Barat where a lot of houses have been turned into offices or used as other commercial premises.
In contrast, there is also the more kampong-like Tebet Timur and Manggarai Selatan.

If the “little Bandung” part of the area represents established businesses, unique vendors in the kampong-like area add color and liveliness to Tebet.

If you’re feeling adventurous, you might like to go on a motorcycle taxi tour of the area. Chances are the driver will head directly to Suke: a fresh milk stall owned by Abdullah that has been there since 1965.

Next would be the famous street-side food stall Warmo, where some say you can find Jakarta’s best cheap eats.

Though known more for its food and fashion than for art, Tebet is also home to artist-run space “ruangrupa“, which circumvents the structures of private and public art galleries.

“We decided to base ourselves here because it’s a strategic location. But it is also true that Tebet has a strong creative aura,” said ruangrupa member Ardi Yunanto.

Another thing that sets Tebet apart is residents’ enthusiasm over its ongoing commercialization.

“We have to admit that living here is like living in an entirely different city. You can easily find any kind of food and other daily needs because of the new shops and restaurants,” said Wiwiek Suwignyo, who has lived in Tebet Timur for 30 years.

Tebet’s organic and unplanned development has made it a vibrant and alive area, unlike Jakarta’s sterile planned-from-scratch satellite cities.

starting from small things

Starting from idealism to strengthen the existence of a community that is revealed in the form of clothes. Finally tercetus ideas to make clothing and distribution company that is now infecting nearly to the many cities in Indonesia.
Create frequently to the streets of Bandung, not surprisingly, see the small shops that sell clothes and trinkets cool. Usually in the small shops that crowd, there are also electronic-age girl that we are maintaining the store, or simply cackle. Now, the shops named these distributions, and many scattered in Bandung. That, to be in a location that is 100 meters, can be found 4 fruit distribution.
The word itself comes from distributions abbreviation distribution stores, work to receive points from the various brands of local clothing company that produces its own products; t-shirt, bag, wallet, jacket and others. Due to not have a place of their own marketing or want to expand marketing, clothing company is "familiar" people with the distribution.
When asked who pioneer the establishment of clothing and distribution company in Bandung? Something was difficult to find a definite answer because all came from small businesses, with the style of the campaign from the mouth to mouth.

alternative shopping

A fresh, alternative option in shopping for clothing lines such as t-shirts, jackets, bags and accessories is distro-shopping. Starting somewhere in the early 2000s, many youths got creative by designing their own t-shirts. Learn how to use computer graphic design programs, make a deal with a good printmaker and voila, an eye-catching t-shirt with whatever it is you want to put on it. Not satisfied with t-shirts, they would also make bags, pants, belts and other fashion items, making a whole clothing line. The products were sold in a small shop called ‘distro’, which usually also sells CDs from aspiring young musicians. The clothing line business went to a boom and with the passing time the good clothing line makers survive and distros are no longer the small unused-room-in-a-house-turned-shops but two-storied buildings with proper air conditioning.

The clothing items and accessories found in a distro typically caters to the youth, sometimes reminding you of major surfing clothing lines design such as Roxy and also of popular designs of rock band t-shirts, but their design concepts are admirable enough. Plus, you can always get a fancy wallet or bag you feel too old to wear the products in such an overtly manner or if the sizes simply doesn’t fit you.

Areas sporting many distros are Tebet and Kebayoran. If you already found one distro in the area, it is very likely that the others would be just a few meters away from the former. Enjoy your time picking the clothing items among the racks and hangers, because although you may have to struggle a little in making your way through the teens looking for the ‘perfect’ belt to wear with the ‘perfect’ pair of pants, the service provided by the young shopkeepers certainly will not intimidate you unlike the usual posh boutiques.

In the Tebet Area, a good place to start would be Bloop distro. Located in Tebet Utara (North Tebet) Street, South Jakarta. Bloop has its own white, two- storied building with roman pillars and big shiny letters spelling out its name. Many choices of clothing lines here, as Bloop is known to accept clothing lines from everywhere.

Some prefer Endorse distro for family shopping, just a little leisure walk to the south from Bloop. From outside you can see its light box sign with the familiar green ‘Endorse’ logo. Endorse also offers many items to pick from its racks but it mostly sells its own clothing lines and the designs could be a little boring. Nearby, you can find the smaller Chronicle distro. Warriors distro in Jl Barkah, Manggarai, offers more ‘masculine’ options such as Fred Perry sportswear, boots and even scooter spare parts.

Time to head out from Tebet, it would be a nice idea to take the smalll soepomo road which provides quick access to the Pancoran area. Just before exiting Tebet, look left and you’ll find the Racerkids distro, a favorite in shopping for limitedly produced clothing items.

After surviving the endless traffic jam in Pancoran, head on straight forward and cruise down to the Duren Tiga area. Near the Kaisar Hotel there’s Crooz distro selling ultra-flashy t-shirts and hoods along with western ‘cowboy’ shirts.

Kebayoran area is also in South Jakarta. One of the oldest distro, Cynical MD, resides here, still running and crowded after all these years. A little TOO crowded in fact, especially after the ‘Blenger’ Burger stand in the same building gains popularity. There are many distros here but in the neighborhood two names excel. The aforementioned Cynical MD located in Lamandau street and Nanonine distro in Brawijaya street.

For those of you who happen to be in the Kemang area, IshkaBible distro and Insomniac distro is there for your shopping pleasure. The outfits sold here are somewhat ‘darker’ and you can also get tattoos and piercing.

East Jakarta owns at least one distro worth mentioning, the Syubidupappap in Percetakan Negara road, Rawamangun. Lots of choice, especially for girls and women, and their collections are always up-to-date.

So the next time you’re tired of plain, conservative clothing in your closet or of the ‘mall’ shopping experience, why not go for a little color and pick up some good stuff from the distros in Jakarta?