TENUN IKAT SIKKA.
Fashion Booth — Empowering Sikka’s Weavers Community.
Indonesia.

Tenun Ikat Sikka is a fashion booth designed as a mobile exhibition and scenographic device to store, transport, and showcase Ikat textiles from Sikka across different locations. The booth functions simultaneously as a display system and as a fitting space, adapting its configuration according to varying degrees of opening and use.

The project was developed in collaboration with the Tenun Ikat Sikka Association, an organization dedicated to protecting the practice, tradition, knowledge, and intellectual rights of Ikat weaving from Sikka, Indonesia. This protection became particularly urgent following the official recognition of the Ikat technique as a Geographical Indication (GI).

The booth is designed to expand its exhibition capacity through removable shelves mounted on its external surfaces, extending the display area when needed. The project was realized on site in Indonesia, relying on local craftsmanship, materials, and knowledge, and reinforcing existing production capabilities rather than introducing external systems.

The weavers’ community initiated the association to transform Ikat weaving into a sustainable source of livelihood, offering services to weavers and local business actors. A central objective of the initiative is the protection of Tenun Ikat Sikka products from motif and name plagiarism by factory-made textiles falsely marketed as original Ikat from Sikka.

The project received support from the Indonesian government and from the Indonesian–Swiss Intellectual Property Project (ISIP). The association was formed with the support of the Sahabat Cipta Foundation, and Tenun Ikat Sikka was proposed for legal protection within the national and international intellectual property framework.

Expose - The project exposes Ikat weaving from Sikka as a culturally, economically, and legally distinct practice by making its production visible, legible, and publicly present through a mobile exhibition device.

Activate - Tenun Ikat Sikka activates local knowledge and community agency by providing a practical tool that supports production, circulation, and economic sustainability for the weavers’ community.