KUCHING, Aug 6 — The Sarawak Keluarga Malaysia Aspirations (AKM) tour programme provides an opportunity for local entrepreneurs to highlight products with elements of traditional ethnic culture.

Owner of the Kumang & Co boutique, Zetta Selanie, said that throughout two days of the AKM programme at Petra Jaya Square, visitors from Peninsular Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore had stopped at her booth.

This gave her the opportunity to introduce and explain the meaning of the motifs and fabric patterns used in each of her clothing designs such as Pua Kumbu, a traditional multi-coloured cloth used by the Iban tribe, Orang Ulu motif patterns and Penan fabric.

"It turns out that the visitors are not only attracted by the ethnic fabric patterns of Sarawak, but they also like contemporary clothes with modern designs styled for daily wear.

"Surprisingly, this sale in conjunction with the AKM tour has been very encouraging and indirectly has an impact on the national economy as well as help local entrepreneurs to generate income after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic,” she told Bernama here today.

Zetta said that behind her designs that elevate the uniqueness of local art and culture, she also roped in single mothers in the B40 group to jointly generate income.

"For your information, most of the sewing and designs were the work of single mothers who otherwise had no source of income. As we want to empower women, we help especially those who live in the interior.

"Thankfully our efforts have yielded results, not only to provide income but also to improve their quality of life,” she said.

In addition, Zetta said, her company also encourages young people from the interior in central Sarawak and new graduates to join their enterprise in producing cultural products. — Bernama