Sentul, Bogor - When we look at a football jersey, most people will first think about the player, the club, or the ongoing match. We notice the colours, crest, patterns, and sponsor logos, then picture how that jersey will look worn by a player out on the pitch.
But have we ever stopped to wonder: who is the person that designs all of this? Who translates a club's history, a nation's identity, even the raw emotion of its supporters, into the garment that players wear on the field?
Today we are joined by one of the people working behind the scenes to create these jerseys. His name is Fajar Ramadhan, better known across social media as Fajarrusalem.
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This podcast was recorded at Sentul Studio, Bogor on 3 September 2026. This conversation with Fajar Ramadhan is hosted by Raisha and Syafira.
Fajar is a professional football apparel designer. His creative journey began with an Industrial Product Design education at Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) Surabaya.
After completing his studies, he started his professional career as Junior Apparel Designer at Riors, then moved to work at League, and has held the position of Lead Apparel Designer at Mills since 2020.
Over ten years working in the apparel industry means Fajar has designed far more than just one or two club kits.
His portfolio spans domestic Indonesian clubs Persija Jakarta and Persela Lamongan, the Indonesia National Football Team, all the way to international clubs including Tranmere Rovers in England and FCV Dender in Belgium.
Most people do not realise that the work of a football apparel designer is not simply drawing a good-looking jersey.
Behind every design you might only glimpse for a few seconds on television lies an extensive process. It starts with conducting research, uncovering background stories, understanding the core identity of a club or nation, before translating that narrative into visual design elements.
After that comes multiple rounds of discussion with different stakeholders, revision cycles, prototype production, all before a design is finally approved for manufacture and worn by players on the pitch.
This means that when you look at an Indonesia national team jersey for example, there is a whole untold story behind every line, colour, pattern and tiny detail on the fabric. There are design decisions that ordinary viewers and supporters will never know about.
Fajar's creative journey has also expanded far beyond football alone.
After over a decade in the industry, his exploration has branched out widely. He has collaborated with creatives including the band Barasuara and the StandupIndo collective on various apparel projects, even creating a one-of-a-kind custom jersey for Jogokariyan Mosque.
2025 marked a major milestone in his career.
Fajar celebrated 10 years of creative work with a dedicated project and public exhibition, created as a reflection on everything he had built. Ten years is no short journey: starting as a junior designer in Indonesia, creating kits for local clubs and the national team, all the way to working on apparel projects for professional clubs in England and Belgium.
Which leads us to the most interesting question of all.
After travelling this far, what really goes through Fajar Ramadhan's mind? Does he still see himself as just a jersey designer? Or is there a larger dream he is currently building towards?
That is why today, we will not only be talking about Indonesia national team jerseys. We are pulling back the curtain on the entire hidden world behind a football shirt. How does a designer find their inspiration?
How is history and identity translated into a tangible design? How long is the journey from a rough sketch on paper to a finished jersey worn on the pitch? And what does it feel like when something you designed is worn by your national team, or even professional clubs overseas?
We will also explore the human side of Fajar's journey: the passion, the messy creative process, failures, the courage it takes to seize opportunities, and how someone can build an entire career out of something that once seemed like nothing more than a hobby born from love for football.
Because at the end of the day, there is always a story behind every jersey we wear. And today, here at Sentul Studio Bogor with hosts Raisha and Syafira, we will hear that story directly from the person who created them.
Fajar Ramadhan, Fajarrusalem, welcome to the podcast.
