Global Success for Indonesian Textiles Must Not Leave Artisans Behind

The author is an employee of the Currency Management Implementation Unit at the Bank Indonesia Representative Office in Jember, East Java.

JurnalPost.com - A piece of hand-woven fabric is more than just the result of manual skill. Behind every thread and intricate pattern lies time, dedication, ancestral knowledge, and a family's hope for a decent livelihood.

To produce a single piece of fabric, an artisan may spend days or even weeks. The process is far from simple, involving everything from preparing the yarn and arranging patterns to weaving with high precision. However, this lengthy production process is not always proportional to the income received.

When these fabrics enter the fashion industry, are transformed into branded clothing, showcased on international stages, and sold at premium prices, a fundamental question arises: how much of that profit actually reaches the artisans?

This question becomes increasingly critical as Indonesia strengthens its position in the global modest fashion industry. According to the State of the Global Islamic Economy (SGIE) 2025/2026 report, Indonesia ranks first globally in this sector.

The global sharia economy also continues to expand. The same report estimates that Muslim consumer spending across six key sectors of the sharia economy will rise from US$2.60 trillion in 2024 to US$3.56 trillion by 2029.

These figures are certainly encouraging. However, achievements in global rankings and the sheer size of the market potential do not automatically reflect the welfare of business players at the grassroots level.

Indonesia may take pride when its traditional textiles (wastra) appear on the world stage. Yet, that pride feels incomplete if the very people who preserve the weaving tradition still struggle to market their products and earn a decent income.

This is where the sharia economy must demonstrate its broader significance. It is not just about halal products, financial transactions, or industrial growth, but also about fairness in the distribution of economic benefits.

High-Value Works, Yet Artisans Struggle to Reach Markets

The issues faced by traditional artisans are not new. In 2019, Maria Yovita Meta Bastian, a weaving preservation advocate in North Central Timor, East Nusa Tenggara, highlighted the difficulty of marketing local woven fabrics.

At that time, her shop received at most 20 visitors a month. Yet, the authentic cotton woven fabrics available there were valued from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of rupiah, depending on the pattern, size, and complexity of the work.

This experience illustrates a fundamental problem in developing the traditional craft industry. A product may have high cultural and economic value, but it remains difficult to generate sustainable income if market access is limited.

Artisans do not just need the skills to produce quality work. They also need buyers, distribution networks, working capital, market information, and demand certainty.

Without such support, the bargaining position of artisans tends to be weak. They are likely to receive a smaller share of profits compared to other parties in the trade chain, especially once the product has undergone packaging, branding, and marketing.

This condition requires attention because the sustainability of Indonesian textiles depends on the survival of their creators.

If weaving no longer promises an adequate income, the younger generation may become increasingly reluctant to continue the skills inherited from their families. In the long run, economic issues could threaten cultural preservation.

The principle of justice in the sharia economy offers a relevant approach to addressing these challenges.

Relationships between artisans, entrepreneurs, distributors, and brand owners should be built through transparent and mutually beneficial partnerships. Pricing must consider production costs, labor time, skill, and the added value created by the artisan.

Furthermore, sharia financing can be directed toward meeting productive business capital needs. Social instruments such as zakat, infaq, sadaqah, and productive waqf also have the potential to empower artisan groups that lack adequate access to formal financial institutions.

With such an approach, the growth of the halal industry will not stop at increasing transaction values but will also strengthen the economic capacity of the community.

ISEF 2026 and Opportunities to Bring Textiles to the Global Market

Efforts to expand the market for sharia economic products are ongoing through various activities, one of which is the Indonesia Sharia Economic Festival (ISEF).

Initiated by Bank Indonesia in 2014, the festival has evolved into a meeting space for business players, financial institutions, the government, communities, and trade partners to strengthen the national sharia economy and finance ecosystem.

From October 14–18, 2026, ISEF was held again at the Jakarta International Convention Center (JICC) with the theme Accelerating Sustainable Sharia Economic and Financial Growth through Synergy and Digital Transformation.

This 13th edition featured over 100 series of activities involving more than 1,000 halal industry players.

One activity that drew attention was the Indonesia International Modest Fashion Festival (IN2MOTIONFEST), which introduced the richness of Indonesian textiles through modern fashion designs.

The collaboration between IN2MOTIONFEST and Jakarta Muslim Fashion Week also opened broader opportunities for industry players to introduce products, build trade networks, and reach potential buyers from various countries.

This step is crucial because the fashion industry cannot rely solely on the richness of motifs and material quality. Global market competition demands the ability to read trends, production consistency, quality standards, brand strengthening, and precise marketing strategies.

In terms of trade, the market potential is already visible. Bank Indonesia recorded that Indonesia's modest fashion commodity exports from January to July 2024 reached US$632.76 million, an increase of 3.38 percent compared to the same period the previous year.

This data shows that Indonesian fashion products have the opportunity to thrive in the international market.

However, the success of a festival should not be measured solely by the number of participants, the excitement of fashion shows, or the volume of products displayed.

A more important question is what happens after the event concludes.

Do artisans receive new orders? Do MSMEs succeed in securing trade contracts? Do small businesses receive sustainable mentoring? And just as importantly, does the increase in trade value truly impact the community's income?

Without measurable follow-up, promotional activities risk producing only fleeting attention.

Conversely, if such activities are followed by purchase contracts, capacity building, financing, and sustainable distribution access, the benefits will be far greater for business players.

Therefore, ISEF must continue to be viewed as part of the process of building a sharia economic ecosystem, not merely as an annual agenda.

Don't Just Build Brands, Build Artisan Welfare Too

Developing modest fashion based on Indonesian textiles requires consistent involvement from various parties.

The government has a role in strengthening policies, business infrastructure, intellectual property protection, and market access. Bank Indonesia can continue to encourage the development of the sharia economic and financial ecosystem through synergy with stakeholders.

Meanwhile, the sharia banking industry needs to get closer to the financing needs of micro and small businesses. Not all artisans have assets that can be used as collateral or the administrative capacity to access formal financing.

Therefore, financing and mentoring schemes need to consider the characteristics of craft businesses, which are often home-based, require relatively long production times, and have unstable demand patterns.

Fashion industry players also have a responsibility to build fairer trade relationships with artisans.

The success of a brand should not be measured solely by profit margins, but also by its ability to create economic value alongside production partners.

Healthy partnerships can be realized through order certainty, timely payments, fair price agreements, and recognition of the product's origin and cultural identity.

On the other hand, digital transformation opens opportunities for artisans to shorten distribution chains. Marketing through digital platforms allows products to be introduced directly to consumers, including potential buyers from abroad.

However, digitalization is not enough just by creating social media accounts or opening online stores. Artisans still need guidance in product photography, order management, financial record-keeping, customer service, and shipping.

Digitalization only provides real benefits if business players have the ability to utilize it sustainably.

Measuring Sharia Economic Success through Public Welfare

The sharia economy is fundamentally inseparable from the values of justice, balance, and public welfare.

Therefore, the success of its development needs to be assessed using metrics that touch the lives of the people.

Increased exports are indeed important. Likewise, the growth of the halal industry, market expansion, and Indonesia's achievements in global sharia economic rankings are significant.

However, these indicators should be complemented by measurements regarding the increase in small business income, the number of jobs created, the sustainability of trade partnerships, and the community's ability to escape economic vulnerability.

In the context of Indonesian textiles, true success occurs when artisans not only receive orders but are also able to earn a decent income, develop their businesses, and pass on their skills to the next generation.

Indonesia has great capital to realize this. The cultural wealth spread across various regions is a strength that is not easily replicated by other countries. The creativity of designers, the growth of the fashion industry, and support for the sharia economy also provide opportunities to expand the market.

The next challenge is not just bringing more textiles to the international stage, but ensuring that the growth of their economic value does not stop in the hands of brand owners or large-scale traders.

We certainly want to see East Nusa Tenggara weaving, Javanese batik, Sumatran songket, and other regional textiles become more globally recognized. However, it would be far more prideful if that success also brought a better life to the artisan families in their regions of origin.

Because cultural heritage is not sufficiently preserved through exhibitions and awards alone. That heritage must also be able to provide a livelihood for the people who continue to maintain it.

Do not let Indonesian textiles go global while their artisans remain in misery.

Ultimately, the measure of a fair sharia economy is not just how high the value of the products sold is, but how widely the prosperity is shared with those who create that value.