This year, KIFW 2026 carried a futuristic theme titled “Foreseeing The Unseen: Whispered Prophecies of Mankind’s Fate”. The exhibition displayed more than 150 works, involving a cross-generational collaboration of Kriya students (classes of 2022, 2023, and 2024).

The Chairperson of KIFW 2026, Aqila Devi Ramadanti (Kriya 2023), explained that the theme challenged students to go beyond making clothes by conducting deep trend forecasting.

"This theme requires students to analyze the future image of the world based on high-impact events from the previous year, and then retell it in the form of fashion works," said Aqila.

According to Aqila, KIFW is not just an aesthetic exhibition. It represents the students' research ability to read social and cultural issues, then processing them into visual ideas.

Bigger Scale and Diverse Artworks

Compared to its debut in 2025, KIFW 2026 saw a significant increase in both the quantity of artworks and the venue size. The exhibition expanded to use two main halls (East and West) to accommodate double the number of entries compared to last year.

The showcase included diverse categories: 47 Fashion works, 37 Craft and Image works, 12 Craft Entrepreneurship items, 13 Jewelry pieces, and 47 Motif Exploration works. The highlight of the event was a Fashion Show featuring 47 designs by 5th-semester students.

“KIFW is a stage to answer the public's question: ‘What is Kriya (Craft)?’ It is a platform that unites creativity with an awareness of changing times,” Aqila added.

Challenges Amidst Academic Busy Schedule

The success of the event relied heavily on the hard work of the committee behind the scenes. Aqila revealed that the biggest challenge was time management, as the event preparation ran parallel to the Final Semester Exams (UAS).

"The toughest challenge was maintaining the committee's consistency amidst tight academic assignments and exams. However, thanks to the full support from the Dean and the Head of the Kriya Study Program, we were able to overcome these challenges," she explained.

Besides the exhibition and fashion show, KIFW 2026 also featured a Talk Show with creative industry practitioners, providing new insights for students and visitors.

Aqila hopes that the positive feedback received this year will fuel the spirit for next year's event.

"I hope the ITB Craft Exhibition does not stop as a mere annual agenda, but continues to grow as a sustainable space for students to experiment, collaborate, and dialogue with the wider community," she concluded.

Reporter: Chysara Rabani (Mining Engineering, 2022)