By Ling Hui
KUCHING, May 16: Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah is confident that Sarawak’s craft designs and motifs can one day catch the eyes of luxury designer brands such as Gucci, Prada, and Hermes.
From attending the recent London Craft Week, he said he witnessed how local arts and crafts can garner great attention when promoted on international platforms.
“When it goes global, it creates so much interest. So maybe one day, some of our motifs or products will be picked up by Gucci, Prada, Hermes…
“We never know. During the London Craft Week, even Jimmy Choo was there,” he told a press conference at the sideline of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting here today.
The Sarawak Craft Council Bill, 2023, which sought to formalise the Sarawak Craft Council (SCC) as an authority to regulate and manage craft-related matters, was passed unanimously.
When asked whether SCC would look into the application for Intellectual Property (IP) for some popular local arts and crafts, Abdul Karim said that would definitely happen.
“IP is very important because we do not want the products that we have from the longhouses to be suddenly produced in Thailand and China,” he said.
He reiterated the importance for SCC to be formalised so that a proper legal framework is in place for them to look into issues such as IPs. — DayakDaily
