Indonesia cracks down on used clothing imports as lower prices hurt local producers - The Straits Times

JAKARTA – Since she was a senior high school student, Jakarta-based freelance writer Anindya Miriati Hasanah, 25, has favoured second-hand clothes.

The avid fan of Japan’s Harajuku street style used to visit thrift stores across Jakarta, but she now hunts for bargains at online shops on Instagram. For her, it feels like a treasure hunt.

Once every two or three months, she buys her favourite Lolita dresses, spending between 50,000 rupiah (S$4.40) and 500,000 rupiah on each piece.

“If I buy new clothes, the prices are very expensive. That’s why I prefer buying second-hand items of good quality,” Ms Anindya said.

“Clothes express our personal style. It’s very difficult to find Japanese fashion that is locally produced.”

Another Jakarta resident, housewife Ghea Askara, often buys imported used clothing, particularly from Japan and South Korea, as she likes their unique designs.

“They have products that we don’t have locally,” said the 38-year-old mother of two. Her preference for a more sustainable lifestyle often sees her modifying the clothes – such as converting a pair of denim pants into a skirt – to prolong their life cycle.

Thanks to customers such as Ms Anindya and Ms Ghea, Indonesia’s thrifting business is gaining steam, with digital platforms opening doors to more customers.

Foreign second-hand clothes have been traded in the country for many years.

In 2015, the Trade Ministry issued regulations banning their import. However, it did not stipulate any penalties for violations, resulting in the rules being ineffective.

The vast archipelago is prone to smuggling due to the many entry points.

The recent influx of such items is a headache for the local textile and garment industry, which is still struggling to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the government.

Second-hand clothing legally imported into the country was valued at US$272,146 (S$362,500) in 2022, more than five times what was brought in the previous year, according to Statistics Indonesia.

Mr Nandi Herdiaman, chairman of a union for home-based clothing makers, which has 500 members, said the massive availability of imported used clothes has affected many local producers that supply to traditional markets and retailers.

Customers’ weak purchasing power means that the imports have a price advantage.

Orders to produce new clothes ahead of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, for instance, fell sharply, he added. “The impact is already visible. Home-based clothing makers who used to produce clothes under certain brands now only fulfil orders to sew civil servant and party uniforms,” he noted.

The impact is also being felt by producers of raw materials used in manufacturing clothes.

Indonesian Textile Association chairman Jemmy Kartiwa Sastraatmaja said fewer orders by small and medium-sized clothing producers have resulted in a decline in raw material purchases.

“The utilisation of (textile) factories on the upstream side is also affected,” he added, referring to fibre and filament yarn production facilities, among others.

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