One of the most awaited events in the international beauty pageant competition is each country’s national costume show. Uniquely, this year, the Indonesian representatives at the Miss Grand International event used Nasi Padang costumes.
Nova Liana, who won the title of Miss Grand Indonesia 2024, became Indonesia’s representative at the Miss Grand International 2024 event, which was held in Cambodia and Thailand from October 3 to 25, 2024.
On the night of the National Costume competition, October 20, yesterday, Nova Liana seemed to shine the most among the other participants. The 23-year-old girl brought a national costume themed “The Royal Flavors Of Payakumbuah”.
Not just any costume; it turns out there is a cultural meaning in this embodiment of Nasi Padang.
“The Royal Flavors Of Payakumbuah” was designed by Annisa Banyuwangi and inspired by the Padang food tradition, which includes various delicious dishes. The display of Minangkabau cuisine symbolizes this tradition carried on a large tray.
“We rarely have culinary-themed costumes as national costumes,” said Annisa.
The costume designer, Annisa, revealed that her team, which collaborated with designer Ivan Gunawan and influencer Arief Muhammad, wanted to convey three meanings.
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1. Introduce Indonesian culture
Considering that many cultures in the archipelago are still unknown to foreigners. This can be seen from the Rumah Gadang elements on the shoulders and arms and the traditional clothes used by Nova.
2. Shows a different kind of uniqueness
It is rare for country representatives at beauty pageants to wear culinary-themed costumes. Previously, Indonesian representatives always wore cultural-themed costumes that could be seen on traditional cloth or dance models.
The existence of the nasi padang costume is a unique form from the others.
3. Introduce traditional Indonesian dishes
Of course, the main meaning and message to be conveyed to the wider community are the traditional Indonesian dishes.
For the record, “The Royal Flavors of Payakumbuah” consists of three elements: Rumah Gadang, Padang traditional clothes, and the region’s specialities.
The Padang food element is on the sleeves. Each sleeve has 14 plates featuring its own menu. Some are rendang, salai fish, cassava vegetables, tripe curry, and jackfruit.
The process of making this Nasi Padang costume took three weeks. The designer shared the challenges in making the National Costume. The difficulty is in the opening and closing factor, which is rather difficult because there are many plates with various side dishes typical of Padang cuisine.
“Two weeks of costume making and one week of trial and error for opening and closing. So, the total manufacturing process is three weeks. The costume weighs about 5 kilograms,” she explained.
