over the top with ropp

It’s the week before the show and the office is in full swing. Invitations are being sent out, RSVPs are being called in, planning is well underway and my head is beginning to swirl while I watch everyone running around like ants building a new colony.

Not long ago I was sitting on my balcony in Rome when my phone rang. It was my father, Paul Ropp. “It’s going to be huge!” he almost shouted on the phone, referring to his next fashion show at the W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak on November 12. While having done many things – including travelling around the world, dancing across America with famous artists, inventing his own rolling paper and many more – my father, the fashion designer, had not thrown arguably Bali’s biggest colour extravaganza yet. And this is his chance.

My father has always thrown spectacular fashion shows, out of his own pocket. This is the first time he is doing a show with sponsors: smart fortwo by Mercedes-Benz as premium sponsor, W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak as main sponsor and Fashion TV, F Vodka and Patron Tequila as the other sponsors.

“It’s different for me to work with sponsors. I have to be aware that this is a collaborative affair. It’s like getting all these different bands and turning it into a super group. We have to work together as a team. The most important thing is to have a good team surrounding me. I couldn’t be doing what I’m doing if I didn’t. By the grace of fate we came up with the strongest sponsors available,” he told me over the phone. But I could still read his nerves like a book. He seemed like a boy who just got the biggest part in the school play, but was worried he wouldn’t learn his lines in time. “I need your help. What do you think about coming to Bali and helping me out on this one? I would love to have you here. You haven’t been to one of my fashion shows in ten years.”

The next day I booked my ticket and I was off. I was unaware, however, of exactly how much pressure he was under until I arrived in the office, fresh off the plane.

I, along with anyone else who has visited the Paul Ropp factory, am not a stranger to his colourful atmosphere which includes various shades of blue, green, yellow, red and basically every colour under the sun. However, right now it looks even more like a rainbow has thrown up all over the property than ever before.

In his office, there are racks after racks of colourful clothing systematically arranged and ready to be worn by the models. In the factory there are about 30 tall poles adorned with multicoloured cottons and silks that have been turned into massive bouquets of ?owers, quite like something out of “Alice in Wonderland”. Outside, there are lines of bamboo sticks ready to become the ?ags that will line the walkways of the resort where the show will take place. It seems he has thought of almost everything.

It’s quite clear to me that my father has a knack for creativity and he has never hidden his ?amboyant imagination. But how does someone come up with all of this? “With each show I do, I aim for it to be bigger and better than anything I’ve ever done before and to create something different and expand on what was appreciated by our clientele in the past,” admits my father.

The thing that many people, including myself, don’t seem to be aware of is the time and effort that has to be put into a show. While sitting in the office with six people discussing a multitude of issues and problems and simultaneously dealing with a cacophony of mobile phones ringing and beeping, my father turns to me and says, “People don’t realise the logistics that go into the production of a show this big. They think the models show up already dressed and made up and the seats and decoration miraculously appear. No one thinks of the obstacles and negotiations one has to undergo to put something like this together.”

And before I even finish processing what he just tells me, Jorge, my father’s assistant walks in. “Paul, we need two more guys. We don’t have enough male models. Where did all the sexy men go? Last week I was driving around Kuta and they were everywhere! Now I can’t seem to find one!” he says with a frustrated tone and a look of panic on his face. I impulsively look at my father and wait for a reaction. “Jorge, don’t worry, we will figure it out. In the meantime, let’s finish fitting the female models. We will work something out,” my father responds calmly. I look at him and wonder how he manages to remain so measured. “To get crazy would be simply a waste of energy,” he tells me. “I have to save up all my energy on making things work instead of worrying about the things that don’t.”

It’s interesting to see the way he works, the way he keeps his cool, and his demeanour when dealing with the many problems that get hurled his way. I begin studying his face and he ?ashes me a tense smile before going back to approving papers and payments.

For all of us, this week has been a whirlwind of emotions and tests of stamina, but tying up the loose ends to the upcoming event is giving everyone involved butter?ies and much more than that too. This production is about six months old and almost ready to make its debut. After much talk about the idea, the concept, and so on and so forth, it’s time to deliver the goods.