Indonesia's wastra industry has the potential to keep growing and become increasingly popular with local and international consumers. The archipelago's wastra industry, such as batik, tenun weaving and songket, is seen as able to respond to the need created by the boom in the slow fashion industry amid the strong fast fashion trend that harms the environment.
“The archipelago's wastra are present not only as a cultural product, but also as a solution. Their production process, rich in local wisdom, the use of natural materials and the philosophy embedded in them make wastra very much in line with the slow fashion concept, namely fashion that emphasizes quality, sustainability and fairness for all parties,” the Director General of Small, Medium and Miscellaneous Industries (IKMA) at the Ministry of Industry, Reni Yanita, said in a written statement in Jakarta on Monday (21/4).
To increase wastra industry players' knowledge and application of the sustainability concept, the Directorate General of IKMA at Kemenperin partnered with the National Crafts Council (Dekranas) to hold a webinar themed “Love the Archipelago's Wastra: The Role of Wastra SMIs in Sustainable Fashion” on 16 April 2025. The event was part of the Road to the 45th Anniversary of Dekranas series, officially launched by the Executive Chair of Dekranas on 11 March 2025.
The Director General of IKMA said Kemenperin and Dekranas pay special attention to Indonesia's wastra industry because it is closely tied to the sustainability concept that is popular among consumers in global markets. “Consumers' awareness of the importance of lifestyle change in promoting environmental sustainability and the state of nature is steering toward the slow fashion trend, which is the opposite of fast fashion,” she said.
According to the Director General of IKMA, the current fast fashion trend is part of a fast, dynamic market lifestyle and of consumers' easy access to digital information and online markets or marketplaces. This change has also led to the habit of buying mass-produced clothing made from less environmentally friendly materials, resulting in solid waste in the environment.
“In addition, the fashion industry is now required to address sustainability issues, which result from various interrelated economic, environmental and social factors. The world is now moving toward fashion that is not only visually appealing, but also ecologically and ethically responsible,” Reni stressed.
The Director of Chemical, Clothing and Craft SMIs, Budi Setiawan, added that the slow fashion concept offers an alternative fashion trend that prioritizes quality over quantity, ethical production, environmental sustainability, slower and more planned production, and promotes ethical values in the supply chain.
“This principle not only has a positive impact on the environment by reducing waste and energy consumption, but also helps ensure that workers in the fashion sector receive decent wages and fair working conditions,” he explained.
In Indonesia, Budi continued, the slow fashion concept has great potential to grow, especially with the presence of local artisans and the use of abundant natural raw materials, such as wastra products including tenun weaving and batik.
“Wastra, as Indonesia's traditional fashion product, has characteristics that fit the slow fashion principle very well. The wastra production process, which requires precision and takes a long time, makes it a symbol of quality and uniqueness that supports sustainability,” he added.
In addition, fashion industry players, especially in the wastra industry, can in fact apply environmentally friendly concepts in several ways, including using sustainable raw materials such as organic and recycled materials, optimizing production processes and processing production waste.
“To strengthen an environmentally friendly, sustainable fashion industry ecosystem, artisans can also help educate consumers about the importance of this concept,” Budi said. It is hoped that the webinar can provide knowledge not only for artisans or wastra SMIs, but also for the general public as consumers, so they can be wise when deciding to buy and consider all the superior aspects of Indonesian wastra and craft products.
Designer and member of Commission VII of the House of Representatives (DPR), Samuel Wattimena, one of the webinar's speakers, said that the campaign for the archipelago's wastra as a sustainable fashion trend in line with the slow fashion principle does not only encourage consumers to appreciate wastra products and their production process more.
“This will certainly strengthen local identity on the world fashion stage. The traditional wastra industry has proven to open job opportunities for local artisans, increase national exports and boost regional economies,” he said.
Samuel also urged the central and regional governments and Dekranas to keep strengthening their synergy in developing the skills of wastra artisans in various regions, as well as access to environmentally friendly raw materials and promotion.
Source: Press Release of the Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia