KUCHING: Nowadays Pua Kumbu has been turned into fashionable clothing.
Not too long ago, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said the Iban traditional handwoven textile has great potential in the world of haute couture.
He told Sarakup Indu Dayak Sarawak (SIDS) members that they should turn the Pua Kumbu weaving skills into a lucrative business.
“Let not your ‘Pua Kumbu’ remain as just a cultural heritage. Exploits its full potential to generate income,” he said.
For Gailcenvilvia Jong, of mixed Bidayuh and Chinese parentage, who specialises in cloth making, she has been using ready-made Pua Kumbu since 2016.
The 35-year-old lass from Sarawak who runs House of Gail has been interested in sewing since childhood.
The business was started out of her own interest in the field of designing clothes of which she runs it from her house daily.
“Nowadays, many prefer to choose to use batik or printed fabrics with woven patterns that are widely sold in the market.
“As someone who is interested in designing clothing with various ethnic characteristics, I am very fond of highlighting the field of clothing design based on native weaving such as Pua Kumbu and also other patterns,” she said.
From a piece of cloth, the 35-year-old said that it can be made into a beautiful dress to style, with a concept of combining traditional and modern features.
“This idea arises when someone has expressed the desire to make a shirt from woven cloth but at the same time wants to combine it with the characteristics of traditional clothes of other ethnic groups.
“From there this idea was born and received a very encouraging response. Indirectly, this style choice is followed by many young generations to wear clothes with a modern theme like this,” she said.
She said that she had received orders for weddings, convocations, official and unofficial events, and the latest order is for clubs and associations.
“Not forgetting the Gawai Day celebration which is very popular for the Iban and Bidayuh people.
“The highest booking is during the run-up to this festival which is celebrated every year,” she said.
She said nowadays, Pua Kumbu woven cloth is not only styled by the Iban people but also attracts the interest of various races.
“I will continue to contribute ideas and design more multi-ethnic clothing with modern characteristics and insert traditional elements that use Pua Kumbu in each of my designs to attract the interest of the new generation,” she said.
She added that apart from Pua Kumbu designed clothes, she also designed modern clothes from other ethnic groups such as Bidayuh and Kadazan.
“Not only using Pua Kumbu, I also use archipelago weaving patterns in some of my designs. There are many colours and patterns to choose from and can be worn by anyone, be it formal or informal,” she said.
She hopes that the use of this woven textile will continue to be popular among the younger generation and will continue to be highlighted as something new to be introduced to the public.
“My opinion about the ready-made pua kumbu woven fabric that is widely sold in the market is to make it easier for all parties to get materials for various uses, especially those based on business or service activities.
“Economic sectors that use a lot of Pua Kumbu are parts of the clothing manufacturing sector, souvenirs, handicrafts, weddings and also interior decoration.
“Of course we need a lot of supply of Pua Kumbu to meet the demand,” she said.
She also said that nowadays, it is very difficult to get original woven cloth sold in the market in large quantities.
“The current generation does not have many people who know how to weave Pua Kumbu.
“In fact the number is decreasing for workers who are skilled in weaving cloth. So many prefer to buy Pua Kumbu that is ready to be woven and sold in the market,” she said.
She hoped that the Pua Kumbu cloth will be sold more and more in the market because the demand for the cloth is increasing every day.
