West Kalimantan Regional Craft Council Aims to Make Traditional Textiles a Lifestyle

The Chairperson of the West Kalimantan Provincial Regional Craft Council (Dekranasda), Erlina Ria Norsan, stated that the council will continue to promote the use of traditional heritage textiles (wastra) to establish them as a community lifestyle. This effort aims to strengthen both the preservation and development of regional textiles to ensure they remain relevant to contemporary fashion trends.

“Every regency and city in West Kalimantan possesses innovations in clothing based on traditional fabrics that are not only of high cultural value but are also capable of appearing modern, elegant, and competitive. This is certainly a regional potential that we should cultivate through regular use,” said Erlina Ria Norsan in Pontianak on Wednesday.

She noted that wastra serves as a cultural identity containing extraordinary artistic values, philosophies, and local richness. “Appropriate usage will demonstrate that traditional fabrics can serve as graceful, modern, and competitive works of art,” she added.

She further explained that strengthening the regional textile ecosystem also carries significant economic impacts, particularly for artisans and MSMEs in West Kalimantan. According to her, increasing public interest in textile-based fashion will open broader market opportunities for local products such as regional weaves, batik, and songket.

“The growing public interest in using textile-based clothing will create greater opportunities for local artisans. This serves as a momentum to strengthen production, quality, and marketing,” she said.

Erlina also emphasised the importance of using the achievements of participants as motivation to continue innovating and expanding the recognition of West Kalimantan textiles across various social circles. “This achievement is only the beginning. The next challenge is ensuring that regional textiles do not just appear on runways, but become part of the community’s daily lifestyle,” she remarked.

Dekranasda West Kalimantan hopes that the spirit of preservation and innovation in regional textiles will continue to grow, so that West Kalimantan’s cultural products become more widely known and are able to compete at both national and international levels.