Fabric of time

Tanoti creative director June Ngo (left) and director Jacqueline Fong showing some of the pieces from the Luminesque collection to be shown in Paris. - SHARON LING / The Star

A social enterprise is reaching out to women in rural communities in Sarawak to help them ‘weave’ a better future.

WHAT began as a simple workshop to preserve the traditional art of songket-weaving in 2008 has grown to become a notable social enterprise based in Kuching, Sarawak.

Tanoti, co-founded by June Ngo and Jacqueline Fong, aims to improve the livelihoods of women in rural communities by teaching them how to weave songket.

Once the women learn the skill, they can continue making the brocade fabric for a living.

“It is a community initiative project. Our objective is simple: do craft and we will help you generate income for yourself,” says Jacqueline.

So far, Tanoti has reached out to 20 remote Penan villages in Sarawak and has trained 200 women there.

Jacqueline also has 18 full-time artisans aged between 22 and 37 working for the social enterprise.

Tanoti uses social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook to raise awareness about its effort to empower women in rural communities.

One striking Instagram post shows a group of people crossing a river to get to a remote destination for a community outreach project – they were trying to reach Long Seridan in Baram via Sungai Seridan.

So far Tanoti has reached out to 20 remote villages in Sarawak and has trained 200 Penans.   

The post says craft development in remote areas is no easy job and Tanoti is blessed to have good souls who are happy to risk their personal safety to help its efforts.

And the startup doesn’t stop at social media – Tanoti has been exhibiting at tradeshows in Europe, most recently in Birmingham for the Autumn Fair from Sept 2-5.

It’s one of the biggest gifts-and-home tradeshows in Britain, and Jacqueline says she saw the event as not just about introducing songket to a wider audience, but also explaining how it can be used in many forms.

“Songket weaving is a technique which is quite foreign to the UK market, as people there are traditionally more familiar with embroidery, lace, crochet, knitting and tapestry,” she says.

Jacqueline used a video to show the intricate weaving process of songket.

“Everyone who watched the video, which showed different hand-weaving processes, was quite amazed,” she says.

The songket products which Tanoti showed in Birmingham were bowtie and cummerbund sets, clutches, purses and wallets, says Jacqueline, adding that it also introduced innovative songket like table sets produced using rattan wefts.

Tanoti recently showcased its songket products made by Sarawakian women from rural communities at the Autumn Fair 2019 trade show in Birmingham, UK.

“At the fair, many of the trade visitors were also intrigued by Penan basketry products.

“The Penan artisans who produced them ranged from teenagers to great-grandmothers,” she adds.

When asked how Tanoti artisans feel about having their creations wowing visitors at the Autumn Fair, Jacqueline says they saw the bigger picture.

“The artisans at Tanoti know that what they are doing is larger than them. They are the custodians of this traditional craft, and songket has a strong chance of surviving because of them.

“Everything that we do is in the pursuit of ensuring the continued existence of a heritage craft.

“It’s a tough fight but we intend to make it happen,” she adds.