The first thing that one notices upon meeting Paul Ropp is his commanding presence. With a resounding voice, Paul recounts how he came to Bali, "I first came to the island in 1978. A friend of mine suggested that I design some blouses and so I did. I initially worked with Batik Keris, which was the largest garment producer at that time. We entered into a foreign approved joint ven­ture, with a permit from the government" What started as a side project slowly evolved into a full-time career, "We are now in manu­facturing and exporting and currently have a workforce of 300 people," he says.

Producing quality handmade clothes and accessories, Paul has utilized the talents of peo­ple who had seemingly been overlooked by the world, "The fabrics that I use is made in India, the largest Hindu country in the world.It is hand-woven by about 5,000 people.

The fab­rics are then exported to Bali where we cut them and design them into `Paul Ropp fashion," he explains. And what exactly, is Paul Ropp fashion? "Primarily, the fashion we produce is for people who want to play – those who are geared for partying, clubbing, and for leisure.

Our products are for people who like walking into a room and getting attention. In addition, what we produce is a labour of love. What I mean is that our products are not simply mill made fabric. Everything we create is hand­made with a personal attention to detail.

Currently exporting to 13 countries, Paul is proud to mention the exclusive areas where his designs are available, "We are found in 300 of the most expensive and exclusive stores on the planet. We have outlets in the most presti­gious resorts in the world, such as, those in St. Barts, Mystique, Granada, Brazil, Ibiza, Marbella, and the Maldives. In Bali, we are available at the Oberoi, the InterContinental Resort Bali, Begawan Giri Sayan, Legian, as well as at Duty Free. We're also found in Amanjiwo, Yogyakarta," he says. The company also has plans in expand­ing their business. He elaborates: `By this year, we hope to have more free-standing stores, as well as putting up stores in Jakarta, and maybe Surabaya and Bandung. As more and more peo­ple get to know about the product, it is impera­tive that we meet their need for outlets."

Somewhat surprisingly, Paul's passion for his business goes beyond the call of fashion, "I actu­ally don't want, nor do I desire to be in fashion. What I'm interested in is making something – a conversational piece –that appeals to smiles and good feelings, as opposed to something intellec­tual," he says. It is apparent that people feel good when wearing Paul Ropp's clothes. Light to the body and extremely wearable, his designs are fun, colourful and very attractive. "My inspiration comes from what I see, smell and experience. It is the colours and textures of the air, the contrast between the coconut trees and the rice paddies, the sky and the water. It could be whatever gives me a sense of recognition, of what's happening around me. At the same time, it also depends on my mood and the feeling and sense of direction that I receive from the market," he explains.

Paul, who is originally from Brooklyn, New York, also exposes a very sensitive, soft side, "This country, Indonesia, has been very good to me. I feel lucky enough that I experienced something good and I am able to share it with others. In addition, I would like to do every­thing I can to facilitate the preservation of cul­ture in Bali. The pieces we make are actually handicrafts; they are made by people who pos­sess a special talent and who are part of a tradi­tion that unfortunately is slowly dying. How could anyone let a whole culture disappear?" he asks. "Nowadays, young people can't wait to free themselves from their village and find their places in the world. Unfortunately, that is a factor, which is why a lot of handicrafts - inputs that are characteristically Indonesian - are becoming obsolete. I feel very lucky, happy and proud to be able to make a small difference, even a person so small as I am, to help provide livelihoods for the people and in effect, help preserve the culture in Bali," he says.

Now a well-known brand and designer the world over, Paul Ropp is currently venturing into providing a new service, "We have come up with a new concept – shop in the box. We have currently taken over a boat and a furniture factory, and now we use these to design our stores. We build our own fixtures for the shops – cabinets, dressing rooms – using lightwood with a finishing like stone. These we ship in 40 ft. containers and when our clients receive the shop in the box, all they have to do is follow the set of instructions and voila, they have a shop. In simpler terms, it would be like assembling a Lego set, everything they need is in the con­tainer. Compared to our clients having to build new stores, now they just order shop in the box and they'll be set up in two to three weeks, with only a fraction of the cost," Paul shares.

Obviously, success would change any man, but Paul begs to differ, "The only difference between Paul Ropp of before and now, is that I have a larger expense account," he says jokingly. "But seriously, I get to reach more people now, not just with my collection, but also with my business as a whole" Perfectly stated by a good businessperson who has made a positive and sustainable contri­bution to the society
in which he works.  q                                             Indonesia Tatler 79