JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Trade Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri said the potential for Indonesian fashion exports lies in the wealth of Nusantara textiles, which is estimated to have a transaction value of US$ 251.34 million.
"This export potential is supported by expanding access to global markets in 32 countries around the world," he said, in the form of Indonesian Trade Promotion Center trade attaches and the UMKM Bisa Ekspor national program.
"We facilitate various business matching activities and in the period from January to June 2026, we carried out 424 pitching and business matching activities which were attended by 1,148 business actors with potential transactions with a value of 251.34 million US dollars," said Roro as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, July 29.
Roro said the Ministry of Trade together with stakeholders from the center to the region continued to support events that could promote the potential of Nusantara textiles as icons that have a history to cultural stories that can attract the global market.
Through this year's IFW, which carries the theme of Ulos Simetria, Roro said, from fabric can represent a reflection of identity, balance, and the future of the Indonesian fashion industry.
Roro emphasized that this theme invites the public to see cultural heritage that not only needs to be preserved, but also as a commodity with economic value ready to compete in the national and international fashion market.
Ulos is seen not only as a piece of cloth that is remembered or worn in various customary ceremonies of the Batak people, but also as a symbol of prayer, love, and local wisdom that is passed down from generation to generation.
"When Ulos is combined with the concept of symmetry, or balance, this theme conveys an important message for the Indonesian fashion industry, how to keep cultural heritage relevant, through innovation, develop cultural values into high-value products, and raise the wisdom of North Sumatra to the global stage through internationally competitive fashion works," he said.
From the IFW 2026 event which took place from July 29 to August 1, he continued, Indonesian textiles are expected to be increasingly known in the international market and can be enjoyed more broadly in terms of local wisdom, beauty, in terms of the story of each design or detail that is engraved in a cloth.
Roro also said fashion can lead to cultural diplomacy through bilateral conversations, with the beauty that Indonesian culture and heritage offer to the world.
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