Outfit of the Designer, the brand-new Indonesian film on Netflix, is a story of several women and men from Indonesia living in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The lead character is a final-year fashion student, and she runs into a photographer who changes her life. So, through this article, let’s explore Nare’s journey and all the obstacles that she come across throughout the film.
Spoilers Ahead
How did Nare and Bagas meet?
Nare was a final-year fashion student in Birmingham met Bagas, a fashion photographer, and an Indonesian himself. As a part of her final year project, she wanted his help with taking pictures of her collection of clothes to help her graduate with good grades. As Nare and Bagas began to hang out, both sensed a mutual attraction. Bagas gave her ideas on how to establish her brand by setting up a street fashion show that would get her the attention she was looking for. Nare learns that Bagas’ family had been through a tragedy due to the negligence of factory owners back home. As compensation, the company had sponsored Bagas’ education right to college in the United Kingdom.
What was the final project Nare was working on?
Nare approached her final-year mentor and spoke about wanting to work on sustainable fashion. Her mentor requested she not go that route, as every aspiring fashion designer at established fashion houses was exploring the idea of sustainability. Nare’s mentor suggested she go back to her roots to find something from her culture that would help her stand out from others. Nare took the mentor’s advice seriously and began to work on dyeing techniques that were unique to her home country. This included a process called mud dyeing, which Nare figured was different from the chemically processed dyeing method. Nare planned to be a niche Indonesian designer, and was willing to do anything to stand out.
Was Luni trying to flirt with Bagas?
On the day of the photoshoot, Nare had invited her friends Luni, Vier, Mala, and Dante to be models for the street fashion show photoshoot. Luni hinted that her boyfriend Azka had a crush on Nare, which she paid no heed to for obvious reasons. Bagas shot all the women wearing Nare’s clothes, which was a huge success. After the completion of the shoot, Luni tried to flirt with Bagas, which made him and Nare uncomfortable. Nare had never seen her friend behave this way, but she let it go as she knew Bagas was into her.
Did Bagas and Nare date each other?
Bagas showed up at Nare’s home with photographs of the street fashion show. They turned the meeting into a date as they played card games together. Bagas and Nare eventually kissed each other on that day, and began to hang out frequently. Nare let her friends know, including Luni, that she and Bagas were dating. This did not sit well with Luni, who asked if Bagas was aware of Nare’s family background. Nare did not realize it was important to share that detail yet. However, Luni rang up Bagas and let him know it was Nare’s family that was responsible for the tragedy that struck his family. Bagas was heartbroken, and since then he stopped responding to Nare’s calls and messages. Nare was confused as to why Bagas suddenly ghosted her.
Was Mala in an abusive relationship?
Nare, on the day of the photoshoot, noticed some bruise marks around her friend Mala’s neck. Mala initially brushed off her concerns, but a few days later she showed up at Nare’s place, stating Andrew, her boyfriend, was abusive. Nare was stunned that her friend was willing to be in a toxic relationship. Mala stated Andrew controlled her food intake because she wanted to be a professional model. He also controlled every aspect of her life, going so far as taking possession of her passport and other travel documents.
Nare begged her to leave Andrew, but Mala always found a reason to stay, stating he was not a bad person. This was a classic case of a man controlling every aspect of a woman’s life, which Nare found problematic. Mala was trapped in a loop, and hence she could not leave Andrew, who convinced her things would get better between them.
What happened on Luni’s birthday?
On Luni’s birthday, all of Nare’s friends, including Azka, ended up drinking a lot of alcohol and consuming chemically laced narcotics. Nare was very high and only partially conscious when she ended up sleeping with Luni’s boyfriend Azka. Either her drinks were spiked by her friend or the act of physical intimacy happened almost accidentally.
Why did Nare marry Azka?
During a conversation with Luni, Nare revealed she had been feeling nauseous for a while, and her friend asked her if she was pregnant. On checking her period tracker, Nare realized she was late, and her tests revealed she was indeed pregnant and Azka was the father of the child. Azka showed up at Nare’s home to convince her to keep the baby and marry him, as that was the only option at hand. Nare was livid as she felt Azka had trapped her in this situation, as she had plans to grow as a working professional after her studies in the UK. Azka convinced her she could go ahead with her professional life even after marriage. Nare, however, had never loved him, and she was vocal about not wanting to live with him. Nare did not want to abort the child, but she was convinced by her friend that life never turns out the way you want, and this forced her to agree to marry Azka. Azka announced his engagement to their friends at a party, which was attended by Bagas. Bagas, on learning Nare was pregnant and going to get married to Azka, left the party heartbroken.
Did Nare become friends with Bagas again?
Nare was back in Indonesia after the wedding, but she was unhappy. Her parents had somehow convinced her to stay in the marriage even though she said she was not in love with her husband. Azka was trying to make the marriage work, but Nare was hardly interested in hanging out with him. Her only concern was her unborn child and the business she was trying to set up using the concept she’d developed for her final year project.
As Nare began her work on her clothing line using Indonesian techniques, she mentioned that Bagas was the inspiration for her work. Bagas had always stayed rooted in his culture, which Nare found impressive. He’d also managed to recover from the trauma of the tragedy he and his family had faced, which compelled her to dedicate the work to him. Nare’s friend Vier was working with her on the project; as a favor, she let Bagas know about her new clothing line. She shared the video of Nare naming him as her inspiration. An excited Bagas visited Nare at her place of work, and they rekindled their friendship. They also discussed his reasons for cutting her off during their initial dating days. Bagas said he’d never thought it was right for him to date someone who was funding his education. There was a class and financial divide between him and her, which bothered Bagas the most. Nare did not fight with him over how things ended between them in the UK, but chose to be friends with him now that both were back in Jakarta.
Why did Nare leave her husband?
Nare and Bagas drew closer again as they began to spend a lot of time together. This time their relationship was more platonic than romantic. One night Nare received a call from a friend, who said Mala had killed herself. Nare was in a state of shock on hearing this news, as she had not expected her friend to take such a step. Nare was among the few who knew how abusive Andrew was to her. Mala had witnessed her mother choosing to stay with her abusive husband. She used her mother as an example and chose to make her relationship work even though Andrew had never stopped abusing and controlling her life.
Nare learned that Mala came home to find Andrew with another woman. On being confronted, Andrew mercilessly beat her up. This was followed by the distressed Mala taking her own life. Nare was beyond inconsolable on hearing the news of her friend’s untimely death. She may have felt guilty about not convincing her to get out of the relationship that sucked the life out of her. She and Mala were in a similar situation, a relationship that did not serve them. Mala never realized she had the option of breaking up and living life on her own terms. She felt she was left with no choice but to kill herself for a man who did not respect her.
A distressed Nare came home to witness Azka and Luni getting intimate over a video call. This disgusted her as she realized her husband had been cheating on her all this while. Azka and Nare were not getting along, but that never gave him the right to betray his wife. Nare was also unhappy in her marriage, but she chose to stay loyal to him and did not pursue Bagas. Nare decided to leave Azka, as infidelity was the last straw. Azka shamelessly admitted his relationship with Luni was casual, but a flashback revealed that both of them had agreed to continue having an affair after his marriage to Nare. Azka and Luni were selfish people and played a twisted game that ruined Nare’s life. Nare never wanted to reach a point in life where she would be forced to take the step that Mala took. She tried to exit a toxic marriage before it got worse.
Was Bagas dead or alive?
Nare was happy that she got out of her marriage and was back living with her parents, and by the looks of it, they were supportive of the decision she’d made. Nare was not financially struggling, but she was busy establishing her brand in Jakarta. She assumed that since she was not with Azka anymore, she could spend more time with her friends, including Bagas as well. Nare’s happiness did not last long, as she learned from her friend that Bagas was robbed the night before and had succumbed to the injuries the thieves had inflicted on him. Nare could not believe her fate. She had hoped to remain friends with Bagas, who had helped her develop her brand in its initial days. Nare owed him a lot, and when the time came, she hoped to return that favor with her friendship. Since Bagas was no more, Nare was devastated and distressed, which led to her miscarriage. There was no end to the bad news Mare was receiving, as she felt she was not destined to be happy. She had hoped to take care of the baby even though the father of her child was a man she despised. Everything she was facing was a result of Luni and Azka choosing themselves over their friends. Nare and Bagas split because of Luni and she was also forced to marry Azka because he and Luni planned it that way.
Outfit of the Designer ended with Nare giving herself closure regarding Bagas by remembering all her memories of them together. Nare imagined them confessing their love to each other, something she kept to herself to remember him for the rest of her life.