Iban 'Pua Kumbu" Weavings

Traditionally hand-woven in cotton on the back-strap floor loom using natural dyes, the weavers from the Longhouse of Rumah Garie on the Kain River in the interior of Sarawak, East Malaysia have now won the UNESCO Crafts Prize and recognition for their Silk Weavings.

Patterns are inspired through dreams, therefore the textiles earning the description of 'Woven Dreams'. The exquisite weavings are much sought after by museums, galleries and collectors internationally. The Rumah Garie weavers have exhibited in Paris, London, Gotenburg, Zurich, Tokyo, Kyoto, Sydney, Adelaide, Vancouver, Sacramento etc.

Natural-dye, block printed textiles

The fine art of textile-printing using wooden blocks finely incised with patterns and motifs of the ethnic people of Sarawak, East Malaysia has been developed using natural colors derived from roots, bark, leaves and-peels from the rainforests.

Textiles used range from the cotton to crepe silk, chiffon, organza and also specially hand-woven 'filature' silk and 'tussar' raw silk. These creation have also won the UNESCO-ASEAN Crafts Seal of Excellence, and are now much sought after by fashionable people internationally.