Sebastian Gunawan (born 2 July 1967 in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

), also known as Seba, is an Indonesian fashion designer. He is known for his designs of ornate evening gowns. He is a member of the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association.

Early life and education

Gunawan was born in

Jakarta, Indonesia Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

on 2 July 1967. At the age of 14, he developed interests in fashion designing, which he developed by sketching clothing designs as a high school student and working part-time at seamstress. Pursuing this, he enrolled at the LPTB Susan Budiharjo in 1985, a school of fashion in Jakarta run by its namesake—a first generation Indonesian fashion designer. This was followed by further studies at the

Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) is a private college in downtown Los Angeles. The college was founded in 1969 by Tonian Hohberg, the institute's president and CEO. In 2023, Arizona State University (ASU) announced that ...

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where he graduated and obtained the Certificate of Fashion Design. In 1991, he graduated from the Istituto Artistico Dell' Abbigliamento Marangoni in

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, Italy with a specialisation in ''fashion illustration''. In Milan, he met his wife and business partner, Cristina Panarese.

Career

Following his graduation from Marangoni, he worked part-time under the late designer, Egon von Furstenberg. He returned to Indonesia shortly after, due to complications to acquire residency status in Italy. In 1992, following his return to his native Indonesia, Gunawan launched his first collection of clothing with Panarese, entitled "Sebastian Gunawan". This was followed by his fashion show debut in 1995 with a collection named ''Potret Hidup'' ("A Life's Portrait"), featuring evening and ball gowns, which later became his signature items. In 1997 with Panarese, he introduced his first ready-to-wear collection, ''Votum'', which became his first to be sold in stores. This was followed by another ready-to-wear line called ''SebastianRed'' in 2000. In 2004, he represented Indonesia on behalf of the Indonesian Textile Association at the International Apparel Federation (IAF) in

Barcelona, Spain Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a pop ...

. There, he was awarded the IAF Young Designer's Award for this entry entitled "I Miss Bali". In the same year, he made his debuts at the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week, the Hong Kong Fashion Week, and the Southeast Asia International Fashion Show in Nanning, China. In 2006, Gunawan launched a bridal collection, ''Sebastian Sposa''.

Personal life

Gunawan married Cristina Panarese, a fellow fashion designer, in 1992. He met Panarese during his studies at the

Istituto Marangoni The Istituto Marangoni is a private Italian school of fashion and design. It is based in Milan, in Lombardy in northern Italy, and has branches in Florence, London and Paris, Shanghai and Shenzhen in China, Mumbai in India, and Miami in the Unit ...

in Milan. Together, they have a daughter, Alessia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunawan, Sebastian 1967 births Living people Indonesian fashion designers Indonesian people of Chinese descent People from Jakarta