JAKARTA (15/2) - Two local personalities have become the unlikely heroes of the recent flood disaster in the greater Jakarta area. Both have inspired many by starting a new fashion trend of wearing garbage previously clogging up rivers around the city. As a result, not only water levels around the city's flooded areas have gone down quickly, but pollution levels in rivers fell considerably too.

Dave Hendrik (32), best known as the host of "Super Rejeki 1 Milyar" on AnTV, got the idea of sewage couture from watching Vivienne Westwood's latest spring/summer collection on Fashion TV.



"If Mpok Vivienne can turn garbage into style, so can I! I'm already known as a fashionista and I'm not afraid to start new trends. Anyway busway, it gives me great pleasure in helping out unfortunate victims of this terrible flood and cleaning up our polluted rivers."

Mr. Hendrik, who spoke to us at the premiere of his play "Petruk Jadi Bencong" at Graha Bakti Budaya, further added that the shirt he had on was solely responsible for clearing up the flood in Kampung Melayu. "Three sluice gates along the Ciliwung were blocked by this lovely piece of junk," he proudly pointed to the pile of ornamental garbage on his shirt. "And now all three are completely debris-free."

Another local celebrity who is doing her part in the flood is Ria Irawan (38). The best supporting actress winner of the 1988 Indonesian Film Festival was furious to find the closest sluice gate to her Warung Buncit bungalow blocked by discarded boxes of konde and beaded lace material.



"I suspect Anna Avantie has a secret sweatshop around here and has been dumping her trash in the river!" she said irately. "Luckily I had the ingenious idea of turning all that garbage into this do-it-yourself kebaya outfit, complete with messy konde hair, which is soooo trendy right now!"

Ms. Irawan is currently developing her own budget kebaya fashion house, "Sampah Chic", which is expected to launch at the end of the year.

Both Mr. Hendrik and Ms. Irawan will be receiving medals of honour from governor Sutiyoso for their efforts in a special ceremony at Balai Kota later this week, where the governor would also apologise to the public for his poor handling of the disaster.


Mbak Diah