Creative Human Resource Development Strategy Of Fashion MSMEs In Makassar City: Case Study Of Young Designer Community

Abstract

This qualitative case study investigates how the Makassar Young Designers Community (Komunitas Desainer Muda Makassar) cultivates creative human resources (CHR) to sustain competitiveness in the city’s growing fashion micro and small enterprise (MSMEs) sector. Framed by a humanistic economic perspective, the research explores how young designers develop creative and managerial capacities through mentorship, project-based collaboration, digital engagement, and collective identity. Data were collected via 14 in-depth interviews, participant observations at workshops and pop-up exhibitions, and an analysis of digital artifacts such as social media content and collaborative project briefs. Findings reveal that CHR development is community-driven, relational, and practice-based: (1) mutual mentorship accelerates tacit knowledge transfer and trust-building; (2) hybrid competency formation integrates craft traditions with digital marketing and storytelling; (3) project-based learning provides situated innovation experiences; (4) collective identity reinforces motivation and ethical production; and (5) informal credentialing substitutes for formal recognition, enhancing market legitimacy. Despite these strengths, scalability and institutional support remain limited due to financing and training constraints. The study concludes that CHR in creative MSEs emerges from social learning ecologies that intertwine economic pragmatism with cultural stewardship. Strengthening such ecosystems through co-designed capacity-building, digital infrastructure, and policy alignment is essential for fostering sustainable creative economies in Indonesia’s urban centers.