From longhouse weaving to contemporary fashion

For many rural communities in Sarawak, rattan weaving has long been part of everyday life. Fedrick Ding wants to make sure it can also remain part of their future.

The 32-year-old Kayan artisan from Tubau, Bintulu works with rural artisans to adapt traditional handwoven rattan into contemporary shoes, handbags and other fashion pieces.

His involvement began six years ago when his uncle, a rattan bag maker, asked for help with marketing during the pandemic. With travel restrictions keeping villagers from reaching urban markets, sales dried up almost overnight.

“When Covid-19 struck, the villagers had no income,” Ding recalled. “My uncle saw stagnant sales because they couldn’t go out to the city to sell things.”

That pushed him to think about how the craft could reach buyers in a different way, not only by finding new markets but by expanding what rattan could become.

Ding began experimenting with products that felt more contemporary while retaining the weaving itself at the centre. Bags were joined by shoes, accessories and ethnic beaded jewellery.

“We then realised that what we produced is different from what was already available in the market,” he said.

The raw material still comes from rural areas including Bakun, Belaga and Tubau. In some places, collecting rattan means travelling by boat for up to two hours from the longhouse into deeper forest areas before the material can be prepared for weaving.

The work is often shared between husbands and wives, with women involved not only in weaving but also in gathering and preparing the rattan.

Ding said many of the women he works with are aged 50 and above, and he is particularly conscious of making sure their skills are properly valued.

“When I see their work, I know I have to give them a chance. They have the skills, and the work they produce is extraordinary,” he said.

He also avoids bargaining down the prices set by the artisans. “Whatever price they sell, that’s what we buy. That is their income to help the family,” he stressed.

This particularly matters because younger people have not always seen weaving as an attractive livelihood, especially when income can be inconsistent.

Ding believes changing the way consumers see rattan is part of keeping the craft relevant. Instead of treating it simply as something decorative or nostalgic, he wants people to recognise the skill, time and design possibilities behind it.

“We don’t want you, as a consumer, to see this as just a souvenir. It’s a lot more than that,” he said.

Recent interest suggests there is room for that shift. At the Borneo Native Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Ding sold several pairs of shoes and bags over three days, while buyers from Australia and Singapore have also shown interest.

His shoes have been displayed at the London College of Fashion, and he has received mentorship from Malaysian designer Jimmy Choo. Yet Ding’s ambitions remain closely tied to the artisans back home.

Ultimately, he hopes to work with more weavers across Sarawak and connect them with wider markets, including overseas buyers, without losing sight of the people whose hands make the products possible.

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