Malang – Universitas Negeri Malang (UM) has once again returned to the national spotlight after hosting Asian Student Fashion Week (ASFW) 2026 and being entrusted to host the National Conference (Munas) of the Indonesian Mode Design Association (IMODEA) on Sunday (10/5). The forum, themed Roadmap for Fashion Design Study Programs: Strategies for Accelerating Faculty Careers Based on Ministerial Decree (Kepman) 39/2026 regarding Faculty Career Development Services, took place on the 9th floor of the UM Rectorate Building.
Carrying the theme Roadmap for Fashion Design Study Programs: Strategies for Accelerating Faculty Careers Based on Ministerial Decree (Kepman) 39/2026 regarding Faculty Career Development Services, the event was held on the 9th floor of the UM Rectorate Building. This conference brought together IMODEA members from various public and private universities across Indonesia to formulate the development direction of fashion design education to be more adaptive to the needs of the global creative industry.
More than just a discussion forum, the IMODEA National Conference serves as an academic consolidation space for faculty and administrators of Fashion Design Study Programs. The primary focus of the discussion was directed toward improving the quality of human resources, strengthening faculty career paths, and strategies for producing young designers capable of competing in the international fashion industry.
Prof. Dr. Ir. Muladi, S.T., M.T. emphasized that universities are required to accelerate the improvement of faculty academic quality in accordance with ministerial directives.
“The ministry requires that as a Legal Entity State University (PTN-BH), 50 percent of the faculty must be professors and 85 percent must hold doctorates. Consequently, faculty members are required to seek promotion promptly, not for personal interest, but for the collective interest concerning the study program,” he stated while opening the event.
As a concrete step, IMODEA is designing a cross-campus guest lecturer program for five courses, with two sessions per course. The program involves expert lecturers from various IMODEA member universities to strengthen academic collaboration and broaden the scientific horizons of both faculty and students.
The Chairperson of IMODEA, Dr. Tjok Istri Ratna C.S., S.Sn., M.Si., stated that the program is an effort to accelerate the development of teaching staff competence in the field of fashion design.
“The guest lecturer program is intended as an exchange of insights to expand faculty career development,” she said.
In addition to discussing faculty career development, the IMODEA forum also highlighted opportunities to utilize international art exhibitions as an alternative to Q1-ranked reputable journal publications. However, the exhibitions attended must have a high reputation and be organized by institutions with at least seven years of experience.
This step is considered vital to opening space for academic recognition that is more relevant to the character of the arts and fashion design fields. Thus, faculty members are not only oriented toward scientific publications but are also capable of producing creative works recognized internationally.
As the host, UM reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the development of faculty and student creativity through academic collaboration and the strengthening of innovation-based creative industries. This effort aligns with the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4 regarding quality education, Goal 8 regarding decent work and economic growth, and Goal 9 regarding innovation and creative industry infrastructure.
“As Fashion Design faculty, we must continue to improve our quality because famous designers are born from our guidance,” concluded Dr. Tjok Istri Ratna.
Reporter: Zahra Medina Nur Alia – Internship UM Public Relations
Editor: Muhammad Salmanudin Hafizh Shobirin – UM Public Relations