All natural: The products incorporate rattan, which is left in its natural color or dyed black using rambutan leaves.

After completing their studies abroad, three Dayak youths return to their hometown to build an eco-friendly fashion brand together with local craftspeople.

With the trend to a more ecologically minded wardrobe, more and more fashion brands are replacing animal-based products with natural fibers from plants.

While eco-fashion brands are becoming increasingly common these days, one initiative from Indonesia takes it a step further.

Meet Handep, a newly established fashion brand from Central Kalimantan. Founded in late 2018, the social enterprise works with Dayak women and small farmers to create fashion accessories based on traditional Dayak weaving patterns.

Handep was founded by three Dayak youths: Randi Miranda, Liza Apriani and Yoan Taway. In the beginning, they collaborated with 20 weavers and have since expanded to work with 88 weavers and 16 farmers in Central Kalimantan, with plans to expand to neighboring provinces in the future.

Randi, who received his education in Australia and the United States, grew up in a remote village of Central Kalimantan, where he used to forage into the forest with his parents for vegetables.

“This is the philosophy of the Dayak life that is slowly being forgotten in modern society,” Randi said during a recent talk show at the American cultural center @America in Jakarta.

“Rapid industrial expansion like palm oil, mining and logging is slowly destroying our forests, and with it, the livelihoods of indigenous Dayak people,” he explained.

This condition prompted Randi, who used to work with an international NGO, to establish Handep, together with his friends.

For the people: Handep CEO Randi Julian Miranda says his company applies fair trade principles and always respects the Dayak weavers' traditions and needs.

“I’m not the president, I can’t change the narrative. But as a local, I can give back. With Handep, these young people who have traveled the world to study come back to their hometown to grow with their community.”

To that end, Handep’s approach to community empowerment is based on surveys and community consultation. The result is traditional rattan weaving, a skill already mastered by the community women.

As for the design aspect, all of Handep’s products are created with the environment in mind. Chief creative and design officer Yoan Taway explained that the coloring was entirely natural, using ingredients found in nature and environmentally friendly practices.

“For the coloring, we use plants, such as rambutan leaves. The coloring process involves the rattan being boiled with the leaves, before burying the rattan in the mud for a couple of days,” Yoan said.

Chief stakeholders engagement officer Liza Apriani added that Handep products only came in a limited color palette: natural rattan, black and red. The black comes from leaves with lots of sap, such as the aforementioned rambutan leaves.

“Typically, the rattan is buried in the mud for two nights and then washed. If you want a darker color, leave it longer in the mud, or shorter if you want a greyish tone,” Liza said, noting that the glossy finish is made possible through the use of sugarcane.

The team: Handep was founded by Liza Apriani (left), Randi Julian Miranda (second left) and Yoan Taway (right) last year. Rudi Ilyas (second right) serves as the chief finance officer.

Before Handep, Randi explains, the villagers used to sell the unprocessed rattan directly to Java. The weavings sold were also large and unwieldy, only suitable to be displayed at home.

“We also applied fair trade principles; we don’t buy according to market prices, but we go into the villages to observe the process [...] and give a fair price,” Randi said, noting that one bag could take five to seven days to make.

 Aside from fair prices, Handep also gives 20 percent of its net profit back to the community partners. With harvest season coming, Handep’s production also goes down, but Randi said Handep respected traditions and did not impose a strict target.

 “Listening is not enough; we have to understand and respect their culture and choices. Many people create surveys to just listen, but do not necessarily respect the [feedback],” he said. “Because we are insiders, we appreciate our identity that makes us Dayaks.”

 

— Photos courtesy of Handep