What is Weaving For Life ?

In most part of Indonesia, women weave for their living by making handwoven (tenun). The purpose is beyond economic. This intricate fabric has been with us since centuries ago that it has reserved rooted functions – from social, religious, up to aesthetic purposes.

Tenun are widespread in at least 29 provinces in Indonesia. Each place, has their own identities. Some make it simple by buying threads and weave them by machine. Some dare to go extra miles to keep the tradition alive.

In villages in East Nusa Tenggara, women weavers start the tenun making by spin the cotton, mix the natural dyes, and design the patterns inspired by their day-to-day life and beliefs. Some would include resemblance of rivers and mountains in their tenun. The other would have their pray all over the fabrics. It’s like painting with threads.

These traditional style faces the challenges of modern day. One, the decreasing weavers. Two, competition from factory-made textiles. Three, the time-consuming production process. This realistic economic need has often trumped the preservation of traditional value, making the original tenun harder to find.

Weaving for Life is an initiative program to bridge the challenges rises in Indonesia’s Hand Weaver Communities to improve their standar of living in a modern day (regeneration & preservation)

. We promote better trading conditions of traditional tenun Indonesia by partnering with women weavers and support their product development without compensating its traditional value.

We also passionate in connecting these weavers to you by sharing the stories behind the making of our products. By having our products, you have contributed in enabling more women to use tenun as the means to improve their standards of living.