Cover Story: Widi Wardhana

There’s a strong sense of grace that Widi Wardhana carries with her. On and off camera, that is. Her statuesque build is complemented with a classic sense of style that she wears with ease. 

Our photo shoot with the multitasker took place shortly after the DestinAsian Media Group Gala, to which she wore an emerald number by one of her favourite designers, Jason Wu. The Asian-American designer has been behind some of Michelle Obama’s most celebrated looks. “His dresses are timeless and sophisticated,” Widi says. “I like the way he combines sportswear elements with feminine aesthetics.” 

To Widi, fashion is a form of art. “I enjoy fashion because it is a way of expressing myself, my mood and my inspiration. I also enjoy the process of creating a look of the day every morning before going to work.” Among Indonesian fashion designers, Widi most admires Didit Hediprasetyo (a close friend who took the role of stylist on Widi’s shoot with Prestige), Biyan and Adrian Gan. She has also noticed the style innovations that Ari Seputra and Inneke Margarethe of Major Minor and Sapto Djojokartiko have brought to the local fashion scene.

“I like pairing the right basics and selecting cuts and colours that remain current. I like clothes that are more structured, and that exude power and confidence. I love good suits, tuxedos and crisp white shirts.” Widi’s favourite fashion icons include Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, who was one of the ultimate fashion trendsetters of the 1930s and was known for her impeccable manner of dress, her extensive jewellery collection and her taste in interior design.

She also admires Grace Kelly, who was famed for her timeless sense of style, and Jackie Kennedy Onassis, who became a symbol of fashion for women all over the world when she was First Lady of the United States. “They were all very elegant and classy women,” Widi observes. 

Widi is the Director at family-owned Teladan Group, a group of companies that provide services in oil, gas and other natural resources. She has been managing the company since 2004 together with her husband, Wishnu Wardhana,her brothers and brother in-laws.

“The sense of responsibility to continue the family legacy keeps me going. Not only for our family members, but also our employees and their families. As our family business grows, we can contribute to the betterment of this country by creating new jobs,” Widi says. “I believe that God has given our family so many blessings for a reason. We can’t take it for granted, and we must always think about what we can do for others.”

Having been involved in the company for over 12 years, Widi feels a strong sense of responsibility to be a good leader. “I am responsible for inspiring and being a good role model for our people,” she says. “A good leader must have the commitment to deliver, execute the projects well with integrity. A leader must trust his or her people and vice versa. We have to be able to work well together, listen to their opinions and open ourselves to criticism. Like our brand name Teladan, we aspire to be a good role model and have integrity. My vision is to continue to grow and contribute to the development of our country.”

As a female leader, Widi is disappointed with the outcome of the US election. She strongly believes that it is time that America was led by a woman president. “I sincerely hope that this is not a setback for women in the world. We need more women leaders, so that girls out there would not feel discouraged and instead, keep on cracking the glass ceiling.”

In regards to supporting her husband who is now acting as the Campaign Manager of Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Sylviana Murni in the running for the upcoming DKI Jakarta state election, she says: “My husband is a close friend of Agus. To be asked to do this work is something that came up so suddenly and was beyond our imagination,” Widi says. “But he always supports his good friends and partners, and he believes that Agus is the best young leader our country currently has. We sincerely hope that Agus can inspire more young people to be actively involved and be young leaders of this country.”

She goes on to reason why Jakarta really needs good leaders: “The majority of people in Jakarta are still living in poverty. The economic disparity is growing larger. The development of the city has forced people to be uprooted from their homes, places they have lived in for so many years. Many of us do not realise the hardship that they are facing. Their voices need to be heard and somebody has to look after their well-being so that the development doesn’t only benefit the elite and the middle class, but also the working class and the underprivileged.”

At home, Widi is the devoted mother of Katyana (20) and Katrina (16). “My daughters are my fashion influence. They are my fashion critics,” Widi says lovingly. They spend a great time together, having open discussions about everything, and enjoying arts, fashion and sports. But being a mother to teenagers in the social media age is surely not an easy task. Widi herself has fallen victim to cyber bullying.

“It is something that is inevitable, given the quality of people today. Many disregard human decency for the enjoyment of putting other people down. People have become so accustomed to it that they feel it is normal. That is why I encourage my daughters to go against the majority, to stand up against any type of bullying.”

With Widi’s encouragement, Katyana has started an anti-bullying campaign, Sudah Dong. The online campaign has officially become a charity under the name Yayasan Kawula Madani. To voice out against bullying, Sudah Dong has worked with Unicef, Facebook Indonesia, Coca-Cola, IBM and Universitas Indonesia. In collaboration with Coca-Cola, Sudah Dong created #RayakanNamamu, a campaign to eliminate the practice of name calling. 

Together with Facebook, they promote responsible use of social media through “Think Before You Share” Campaign.  The campaign has also published an anti bullying handbook that is endorsed by UNICEF, to educate society on the impact of bullying.

“Sudah Dong has inspired students living in cities like Surabaya, Bandung, Banjarmasin, Banda Aceh and Lampung to initiate anti-bullying campaigns,” Widi proudly says. “I hope eventually this movement will break the cycle of bullying in our society.”

Widi aspires for her daughters to be “smart, kind and responsible women. I always tell them to pursue the highest education, work hard to reach for their dreams and be independent. I try to tell and show them what it means to work hard, be responsible and have empathy for others.” She concludes the interview by quoting the American actress Rue McClanahan: “Cruelty is a fashion statement that we all can do without.” Now, that’s a true fashion icon talking.

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Photography: Mitchell Nguyen McCormack

Styling: Didit Hediprasetyo

Fashion Editor: Peter Zewet

Makeup: Stephanie

Hair: Kiefer Lippens

Assistant Fashion Stylist: Koko Namara