WHEN people ask Ika Bouton if she has returned to her roots with her fine ethnic creations, the Indonesian-born designer usually replies that she never really left.
But every season, Bouton attracts an endless stream of new buyers with the clothes that would be at home on a native of a tropical island as on a rack in Sak's Fifth Avenue.
And she will no doubt find a few more during her showing at the second of three Design Gallery shows held in conjunction with the new Hong Kong Fashion Week - Spring/Summer. Grouped together with fellow designers Lu Lu Cheung and Lawrence Tang, Bouton will present her ''fluid, flowing'' range.
Even so, ethnic, spiritual and even religious themes underlie her presentation: Rosicrucianism, Gothicism, and neo-ethnics are well represented, as is the kabaya - the national dress of the Indonesian people - and the traditional batik prints which cover it.
''The fabrics are fluid, flowing and transparent, using layers on layers and there are also a lot of block prints. I love hand-painting, hand-spraying and hues like lavender, onion skin (terracotta), gold and dark heather,'' she said, while putting the finishing touches to the collection.
Although much of the production is still done in India, Bouton has also started looking increasingly towards China. And, more recently, she discovered the exotic, homespun talents of Pekalongan, the Chinese batik area which is a seven-hour train ride from Jakarta.
