Be creative to shop in Jakarta, you don't have to buy branded items where you can find those items exactly in your hometown, try to buy Indonesian local brand clothing, or well-known as Distro.
Starting in early 2000s, youths mostly from Bandung got creative by designing their own t-shirts, bags, wallets, belts and other fashion items. Those products were sold in a tiny shop call 'distro' and easy to found almost in every area in Bandung and those youths expand their business in Jakarta and attract a real good attention, even some go international and promote Distro by giving free T-shirt to be worn by the MTV Asia VJs whatsoever. Distro owners also work closely with indie band to reflect distro as an indie clothing line with fresh ideas and most likely the design dedicated to young spirited customers like surfer, skateboarder...
In Jakarta, many Distros are spotted in Tebet and Kebayoran, South Jakarta. The price range vary from Rp. 50.000 - Rp. 300.000/piece and not forgot to mention that they only produce each items in small quantity so you don't have to worry to find someone's using the same t-shirt design as yours in malls except you got unlucky.
In the Tebet Area, a good place to start would be:
Bloop distro. Jln. Tebet Utara Raya No. 1 | 021- 71125587
Many choices of clothing lines here, as Bloop is known to accept clothing lines from everywhere.
Nearby, Ouval Research / Gummo. Jln. Tebet Utara Dalam No. 26 | 021-8362177
Offers t-shirts, bags, wallets, shoes, watches, sweater even stereo-d backpack and more for-fun stuffs both for female and male customer. I think this brand is pretty known in Singapore, Malaysia.
Endorse distro. Jln. Tebet Utara Dalam No. 5 | 021-83792616
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. Nearby, Chronicle distro.
Cynical MD. Jln. Lamandau IV no. 18 | 021-7255407
Have a quick bite at the ‘Blenger’ Burger (FYI, very very yummy for only Rp. 11.000/burger) located in Lamandau street. Warriors distro in Jl Barkah No.39, Manggarai, offers more ‘masculine’
Nanonine distro. Jln. Brawijaya XII no. 8 | 021-72786407
IshkaBible distro. Jln. Kemang Raya 8b | 021-7199288 and
Insomniac distro. Jln. Kemang Raya 27 no. 10
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.
Source : streetdirectory
