KUCHING: Sarawak will host its first-ever international textile festival next week when the inaugural Borneo International Textile Festival 2025 (BiTF 2025) takes place on December 7 and 8, featuring a royal keynote address by Her Royal Highness Tengku Ampuan Pahang, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said the event marked an important moment for Sarawak and the island of Borneo as it will become the first international-scale textile festival to be hosted here.
He said the festival is dedicated to celebrating the cultural heritage, artistic traditions and economic potential of textiles and weaving across the Borneo region and beyond.
“The festival’s theme, ‘Weaving the Future: Connecting Cultures, Communities & Creative Industries’, reflects our commitment to preserving heritage knowledge, empowering artisan communities and revitalising traditional crafts within today’s creative economy.
“BiTF 2025 positions textiles not only as cultural heritage, but as drivers of innovation, sustainability and socio-economic growth.
“It also aims to position Sarawak as a regional hub for sustainable textiles, cultural diplomacy and creative collaboration – connecting Borneo to the wider global textile and creative industries,” he said during a press conference here today.
Abdul Karim said Tunku Azizah had long been recognised as a strong advocate for the preservation of traditional textiles, inspiring artisans in Malaysia and abroad.
“Her keynote, themed ‘The Future of Our Heritage’, will set the direction for traditional arts in the modern era, drawing from more than two decades of experience in elevating Pahang’s heritage, particularly Tenun Pahang,” he added.
BiTF 2025 will also feature a high-level forum, ‘Sustaining Heritage, Revitalising Traditional Textile Industries in the Modern Economy’, with speakers from the creative, finance and sustainability sectors.
Among them are Indonesian fashion entrepreneur, Didiet Maulana; CIMB Group’s Ismail Ani Arope; and Sarawak Energy’s Siti Aisah Adenan.
The festival will also offer hands-on experiences through keringkam and batik masterclasses, pua kumbu and songket weaving demonstrations, fashion showcases by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) designers, cultural performances, and engagement with regional creative leaders.
In conjunction with the festival, the ‘Sense of Malaysia’ programme will take place on December 7 at Kuching International Airport, curated by CENTEXS Commercial Sarawak and graced by Her Royal Highness Tengku Ampuan Pahang.
Heritage partners, including Tun Jugah Foundation (Olah Idup) and Pink Jambu, will present demonstrations of kek lapis Sarawak, songket weaving, pua kumbu weaving and keringkam embroidery.
A Traditional Textile Exhibition will also open at the Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM) on December 7, featuring collections from Yayasan Tenun Pahang Diraja, Kraftangan Malaysia, Yayasan Tun Jugah, Sarawak Craft Council, Tanoti House and Society Atelier Sarawak.
The exhibition, which includes rare textiles, archival materials, and contemporary works, runs until March 3, 2026.
To broaden public access, the International Textile Exposition will run at BCM from December 7 to March 3, 2026, while conferences and masterclasses at Pullman Kuching will allow both professionals and the public to take part in preserving the region’s textile legacy.
On December 8, the programme continues at Juma’ani Pavilion, marking its third anniversary, and honouring the legacy of the late Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang.
Showcases will include upholstery work, CENTEXS Fashion Technology and songket weaving by PROSPECT, followed by the Juma’ani Runway Collection by Pink Jambu.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tun Jugah Foundation (Olah Idup) and Pink Jambu will also be formalised.
He said the festival is dedicated to celebrating the cultural heritage, artistic traditions and economic potential of textiles and weaving across the Borneo region and beyond.
“The festival’s theme, ‘Weaving the Future: Connecting Cultures, Communities & Creative Industries’, reflects our commitment to preserving heritage knowledge, empowering artisan communities and revitalising traditional crafts within today’s creative economy.
“BiTF 2025 positions textiles not only as cultural heritage, but as drivers of innovation, sustainability and socio-economic growth.
“It also aims to position Sarawak as a regional hub for sustainable textiles, cultural diplomacy and creative collaboration – connecting Borneo to the wider global textile and creative industries,” he said during a press conference here today.
Abdul Karim said Tunku Azizah had long been recognised as a strong advocate for the preservation of traditional textiles, inspiring artisans in Malaysia and abroad.
“Her keynote, themed ‘The Future of Our Heritage’, will set the direction for traditional arts in the modern era, drawing from more than two decades of experience in elevating Pahang’s heritage, particularly Tenun Pahang,” he added.
BiTF 2025 will also feature a high-level forum, ‘Sustaining Heritage, Revitalising Traditional Textile Industries in the Modern Economy’, with speakers from the creative, finance and sustainability sectors.
Among them are Indonesian fashion entrepreneur, Didiet Maulana; CIMB Group’s Ismail Ani Arope; and Sarawak Energy’s Siti Aisah Adenan.
The festival will also offer hands-on experiences through keringkam and batik masterclasses, pua kumbu and songket weaving demonstrations, fashion showcases by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) designers, cultural performances, and engagement with regional creative leaders.
In conjunction with the festival, the ‘Sense of Malaysia’ programme will take place on December 7 at Kuching International Airport, curated by CENTEXS Commercial Sarawak and graced by Her Royal Highness Tengku Ampuan Pahang.
Heritage partners, including Tun Jugah Foundation (Olah Idup) and Pink Jambu, will present demonstrations of kek lapis Sarawak, songket weaving, pua kumbu weaving and keringkam embroidery.
A Traditional Textile Exhibition will also open at the Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM) on December 7, featuring collections from Yayasan Tenun Pahang Diraja, Kraftangan Malaysia, Yayasan Tun Jugah, Sarawak Craft Council, Tanoti House and Society Atelier Sarawak.
The exhibition, which includes rare textiles, archival materials, and contemporary works, runs until March 3, 2026.
To broaden public access, the International Textile Exposition will run at BCM from December 7 to March 3, 2026, while conferences and masterclasses at Pullman Kuching will allow both professionals and the public to take part in preserving the region’s textile legacy.
On December 8, the programme continues at Juma’ani Pavilion, marking its third anniversary, and honouring the legacy of the late Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang.
Showcases will include upholstery work, CENTEXS Fashion Technology and songket weaving by PROSPECT, followed by the Juma’ani Runway Collection by Pink Jambu.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tun Jugah Foundation (Olah Idup) and Pink Jambu will also be formalised.