Ministry of Industry Emphasises Fashion and Crafts as Strategic Industries to Strengthen Economic Equity
Badung, Bali (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Industry (Kemenperin) has stated that the fashion and crafts sector plays a strategic role in strengthening national economic equity through the development of competitive small and medium-sized industries (IKM).
“The fashion and crafts industry plays an important role in efforts to support the national economy. In the first quarter of 2026, the GDP of the fashion and crafts industry was recorded at Rp120.13 trillion, an increase of 7.89 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2025, which was Rp111.34 trillion,” said Minister of Industry (Menperin) Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita in Badung, Bali, on Friday.
He also stated that the growth of the fashion and crafts industry in 2025 reached 4.93 per cent, higher than the growth in 2024, which was 2.43 per cent.
The Minister added that the fashion and crafts sector also experienced a significant increase in investment. In the first quarter of 2026, domestic investment (PMDN) in the sector reached Rp4.83 trillion, while foreign investment (PMA) reached Rp9.38 trillion, bringing the total investment to Rp14.21 trillion.
This positive performance is also reflected in the export achievements of the national fashion and crafts industry in early 2026. In the January-February 2026 period, the export value of the ready-made garment fashion industry was recorded at US$1.44 billion, the textile industry at US$0.52 billion, and the crafts industry at US$2.43 billion.
Furthermore, in addition to large industries, fashion and crafts IKM also have a strategic contribution to economic equity and national employment absorption.
Based on 2024 Central Statistics Agency data, the number of fashion and crafts industry business units on an IKM scale reached 1.75 million business units, absorbing around 3.69 million workers.
“That number is an important part in strengthening the national fashion and crafts industry,” he said.
One of the efforts to strengthen economic equity through this sector is manifested by Kemenperin through the Fashion and Crafts Industry Empowerment Centre (BPIFK) as a centre for developing creative IKM actors in Indonesia.
Director General of Small, Medium, and Various Industries (IKMA) of Kemenperin, Reni Yanita, explained that the BPIFK building inaugurated today has a strategic function as a creative hub that plays a role in increasing human resource capacity through strengthening soft skills and hard skills.
Kemenperin assesses that strengthening the fashion and crafts sector through BPIFK is an important step in creating creative industry-based economic equity in various regions.
In addition to encouraging improvements in the quality of local products, the development of fashion and crafts IKM is also expected to open new job opportunities and strengthen the competitiveness of the national industry in both domestic and global markets.