Banjarbaru's Sasirangan Targets Global Market with Natural Dyes
The Banjarbaru City Government in South Kalimantan is strengthening the competitiveness of its regional flagship product through the 2026 Banjarbaru City Sasirangan Natural Dye Product Design Competition. The initiative aims to encourage innovation among artisans while expanding market opportunities for environmentally friendly sasirangan fabric amid the rising trend of sustainable fashion.
The event, held at MESS L Banjarbaru on Tuesday, provided a platform for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to present contemporary sasirangan designs using natural dyes. The competition combined efforts to preserve local culture with the needs of the modern fashion industry, which increasingly demands sustainable and eco-friendly products.
Marhain Rahman, Expert Staff to the Mayor of Banjarbaru for Legal and Political Affairs, stated that the local government continues to strengthen the sasirangan industry ecosystem through coaching, training, and organising competitions to help artisans improve product quality and competitiveness. “Sasirangan must maintain its traditional value while still being able to follow modern market tastes. This activity serves as a space for creative industry players to generate innovation, enhance the competitiveness of local products, and simultaneously strengthen the Banjar cultural identity,” Marhain said.
According to him, the competition demonstrates the government’s tangible commitment to supporting the real sector, particularly the empowerment of MSMEs engaged in the sasirangan fabric industry, a distinctive cultural identity of South Kalimantan. Marhain assessed that the use of natural dyes holds strategic value as it not only produces products with high aesthetic value but also answers consumer demands that are increasingly concerned about environmental aspects and the sustainability of the production process.
“In line with the commitments of various countries, sasirangan made with natural dyes has added value and greater opportunities to compete in both national and international markets,” he said. Through the competition, participants were encouraged to present innovative designs without abandoning the cultural values that characterise sasirangan, enabling local products to keep pace with the ever-changing fashion industry.