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Wayang, also known as wajang , is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originated on the Indonesian island of Java Wayang refers to the entire dramatic show. Sometimes the leather puppet itself is referred to as wayang. Performances of wayang puppet theatre are accompanied by a gamelan orchestra in UNESCO designated wayang – the flat leather shadow puppet (wayang kulit), as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on 7 November 2003. In return for the acknowledgment, UNESCO required Indonesians to preserve the tradition.
Juan Iskandar is the founder and creative director of KOH Montréal — a luxury fashion house rooted in sustainable couture, cultural storytelling, and handcrafted artistry. Born in Borneo and raised amid the textile traditions of Bali, Juan brings a rare cultural duality to Montreal's fashion landscape: the ancient narrative craft of Indonesia woven into the precision and elegance of Western design.
From his Montreal atelier, he creates collections that honor slow fashion, ethical production, and the enduring beauty of artisanal craftsmanship. Each piece carries the imprint of two worlds
At the mmode 2025 Gala — Montréal Fashion Cluster honoured Juan Iskandar as a finalist in two categories:
Growth & Resilience, which honours designers who turned uncertainty into strength.
Technological Transformation rewards those rethinking how fashion gets made.
About the mmode Gala
mmode — Montréal Fashion Cluster — is the non-profit federating Québec's fashion industry: designers, manufacturers, wholesaler-distributors, and retailers. It builds business and innovation synergies and drives international competitiveness across the ecosystem. As deputy manager Gautier Berlemont put it: "This year 2025 celebration reflects the remarkable evolution of Quebec's fashion ecosystem — from bold innovation in sustainable materials, to our emerging talent pipeline, to the growing global footprint of our designers."
The Proposal and Its Heart
Both nominations stem from COCOON 2025, submitted under Juan Iskandar's positioning as anew emerging designer in Montreal. One question started it all: what if a garment isn't a finished product — but a living cycle? COCOON answers everything KOH Montreal stands for. Zero-waste cutting. GOTS-certified organic textiles. Recycled-bottle fabrics. Each piece is anchored by Indonesian heritage techniques. Garments that wrap, protect, and transform — Tenun weaves carry ancestral narratives, Barong motifs stitch spiritual protection into sustainable cloth. Every centimetre is accounted for. Nothing wasted. On the tech side, Juan rebuilt his supply chain from scratch — Québec-based artisan partnerships, hyper-local production replacing international dependency, and a twenty-percent cost reduction through material innovation, not labour exploitation. Slow fashion. Sharp operations. Both juries noticed.