By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Dec 5: The inaugural Borneo International Textile Festival 2025 (BiTF 2025) will be held at Pullman Kuching from Dec 7 to 8, bringing together artisans, designers, cultural institutions and creative industry players to celebrate Borneo’s textile heritage and weaving traditions.
Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the two-day event will be the first international-scale textile event dedicated to celebrating the cultural heritage, artistic excellence and economic potential of Borneo’s textile and weaving traditions.
He explained that the festival theme, “Weaving the Future: Connecting Cultures, Communities & Creative Industries,” reflects Sarawak’s commitment to preserving heritage knowledge while empowering artisan communities and integrating traditional crafts into the modern creative economy.
“A key highlight will be a royal keynote address by Her Royal Highness Tengku Ampuan of Pahang, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, a prominent advocate for traditional textile preservation.
“Her keynote, titled ‘The Future of Our Heritage’, will set the direction for the future of traditional arts in the modern era based on her more than two decades of experience raising Pahang heritage particularly ‘Tenun Pahang’,” he said during a press conference at Baitul Makmur 2 today.
BiTF 2025 will also host a high-level forum on sustaining heritage and revitalising the traditional textile industry, featuring speakers from Indonesia’s fashion sector, the financial industry and corporate sustainability. Among them are Ikat Indonesia creative director Didiet Maulana; CIMB Group regional head of Group Corporate Events, Ismail Ani Arope; and Sarawak Energy senior vice president for Corporate Services, Siti Aisah Adenan.
Visitors can participate in masterclasses, weaving demonstrations, fashion showcases by UNIMAS emerging designers, cultural performances, and direct engagements with artisans and creative figures from the region.
Meanwhile, the accompanying International Textile Exposition will run from Dec 7, 2025, to March 3, 2026, at the Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM). The exhibition will feature rare collections, archival materials, traditional looms, embroidery pieces and contemporary textile interpretations from institutions including Yayasan Tenun Pahang Diraja, Sarawak Craft Council, Tanoti House and the Tun Jugah Foundation.
Abdul Karim highlighted that the annual “Sense of Malaysia” programme, curated by CENTEXS Commercial Sarawak, will take place at Kuching International Airport on Dec 7 at 9.30am in conjunction with the festival. Graced by the Tengku Ampuan of Pahang, it will feature demonstrations of Kek Lapis Sarawak, songket, pua kumbu and keringkam embroidery, supported by heritage partners such as Tun Jugah Foundation (Olah Idup) and Pink Jambu.
The Tengku Ampuan will also officially launch the Traditional Textile Exhibition at the BCM at 1.30pm on the same day.
On Dec 8, the festival continues at Juma’ani Pavilion, coinciding with its third anniversary—a moment Abdul Karim described as a meaningful tribute to the late Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang, wife of Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, for her contributions to women entrepreneurs and heritage preservation.
The day will include showcases such as Jahitan Upholstery, Fesyen Technology CENTEXS and Tenunan Songket by PROSPECT, featuring emerging young talents, culminating with the JUMA’ANI Runway Collection by Pink Jambu.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Tun Jugah Foundation (Olah Idup) and Pink Jambu will also be formalised to strengthen collaborative efforts within Malaysia’s fashion ecosystem.
Also present were Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts II (Creative Industry and Performing Arts) Datuk Snowdan Lawan and Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP) permanent secretary Datu Sherrina Hussaini. — DayakDaily
