TOTON 2025: Fashion as a Reaction to World Conditions. DEW spoke with Toton Januar, the designer behind the eponymous TOTON, to share insights into the process and journey behind his 2025 collection.
For his S/S 2025 collection, TOTON presented his work as an exhibition, partnering with PEARS to create an immersive installation that brought the collection to life.
TOTON 2025 Exhibition. Photography Torik Danumaya (PEARS)
The theme of the collection emerged early in the design process. Amid global crises, such as the atrocities in Gaza and Sudan, alongside personal losses, TOTON found himself reflecting on both the world’s pain and his own. “How could I contribute to the betterment of this world, if at all?” he wondered. Caught between despair and the drive to make a difference, he questioned his purpose, asking, “What am I doing? What am I contributing while everything around me feels like it’s falling apart?” At times, he admitted, “Creating a fashion collection felt almost frivolous and out of place.”
Through self-reflection, questioning the state of the world, and personal hardships, the word Puing—an Indonesian term meaning “fragments” or “remains”—emerged as an underlying theme. It symbolizes the act of piecing things back together, amid feelings of loss and sadness in response to both global struggles and personal grief. For TOTON, design serves as a reaction and a statement of the times.
TOTON 2025 Exhibition. Photography Torik Danumaya (PEARS)
TOTON found a renewed sense of purpose when he had the chance to create a collection with Bank Indonesia, working with artisans from regions across Indonesia, including Cirebon and Tuban. With the artisans in Cirebon, he worked on naturally dyed batik, while with the artisans in Tuban, East Java, he focused on Tenun Gedog. Through this collaboration, TOTON shared with DEW, “I realized I’m not doing this for myself; I’m doing this as a medium.” He later described it as part of a larger communal effort, encouraging others to collaborate with these artisans and preserve traditional techniques.
In this collection, TOTON combined diverse elements, from denim to lace, batik, and tenun. The muted, soft colors are contrasted with dynamic silhouettes and intricate detailing. One of the collection’s standout pieces is a fringe skirt adorned with floral detailing.
TOTON S/S 2025. © TOTON
At the core of the label, reusing materials is fundamental. “We’ve been using upcycled materials for years, but this time, it’s even more pronounced,” TOTON explained to DEW. “For example, all our denim is made from factory scraps, which we recycle, transforming each fragment into intricate embroidery.” This process of connecting fragments into embroidery, giving new life to discarded materials, further reflects the theme of piecing things back together.
TOTON S/S 2025. © TOTON
Collaboration is integral to this collection. TOTON’s partnership with PEARS felt natural, having worked together before. Together, they crafted an installation to create a meaningful connection with the audience. “How do we, as a brand, inspire people and communicate ideas?” TOTON reflected. PEARS translated the essence of Puing perfectly, capturing the collection’s themes with sensitivity and depth.
The exhibition featured several elements that brought the collection’s atmosphere to life. A red thread often present in TOTON’s collections is the use of paper clay, such as in his corsets. For this collection, he used ceramics in a new way, transforming them into wearable pieces like earrings, brooches, and hair clips, once again correlating with the theme of fragments. The installation also featured shadows and screens that outlined the silhouettes of TOTON’s garments, creating new perspectives on the pieces, and accentuating their form and shape.
Another key collaborator, Rani Jambak—a composer, producer, and vocalist—added an immersive element to the installation. Her music, inspired by nature, deepened the atmosphere, translating the theme into sound.
TOTON told DEW that this collection marked a pivotal moment, pushing him out of his comfort zone and opening new ways to express his vision. “This is the collection that helped me lift myself back up,” he reflected, “and I hope it can inspire others—not just in its message or emotion, but also in its commitment to upcycled and recycled materials.”
Collaborating with a factory in Surabaya, TOTON transformed fabric scraps into new textiles, breathing life into remnants of the past. Even with limited resources, he embraced the challenge, crafting pieces that embody resilience and sustainability. “This collection truly took me out of my comfort zone; it’s what happened emotionally in the process,” he shared, reflecting on the journey that shaped it. For TOTON, design is a medium to react, express beliefs, and inspire others. (Text Emily Naima)