Susanna Perini is a fashion designer and art collector based in Bali, Indonesia. She is the founder of the fashion label BIASA and the art institution BIASA ArtSpace. Her contributions to the development of fashion and art in Indonesia earned her a knighthood of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, conferred by the Italian government in 2017.
Early Years
Born into a family of couturiers in Rome, Italy, Perini was exposed to sartorial craftsmanship from a young age. After completing her bachelor's degree, she took up photography and traveled to Bali, Indonesia, on an assignment for the Italian weekly magazine IO Donna. Inspired by the island's culture, ceremonies, customs, and traditional clothing, she made Bali her home. She married American designer Paul Ropp, with whom she had two children, Nova Ropp and Sayang Ropp, before the couple separated.
Fashion Design
In 1994, Perini opened the first BIASA store in Seminyak, Bali, championing a chic tropical style centered on white linen fabrics. The brand has since expanded to six stores in Bali and one in Kemang, South Jakarta. The name "BIASA" is a playful twist on the Indonesian word for "ordinary," reflecting the brand's positioning as an independent international label known for luxury resort-wear that blends Indonesian heritage with Italian minimalism.
Art
In 2005, Perini founded BIASA ArtSpace, an institution created to promote recognition of Indonesian contemporary artists among domestic and international art collectors. Through BIASA ArtSpace, she also helped translate and publish literary reviews by Italian art critic Achille Bonito Oliva, including Thisoriented. 2nd Stage (2009), a review of photographer Matteo Basilé's exhibition, and Art Beyond The Year Two Thousand (2011), an observation on the art world after 2000.
