Project News

From the end of August to the middle of September 2013, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were organized to prepare the Action Plan for Ulos Fashion Industry in Samosir. The FGDs were organized by members of a Local Working Group (LWG) comprising of Ulos fabric producers, local governments, financial institution, and other support resources like a designer. The LWG first discussed "challenge action" of the local industry (around 30 weavers), i.e., what products can be challenged to which markets, and further deliberated on what support activities will be suggested in order to realize the challenge action. A series of discussion brought out a consensus on the challenge actions, to increase sales of fashion products using ulos motif fabric, such as apparel product to the high-end consumers and accessories/ handicrafts to local/ tourist markets, in cooperation with external designers and product development supporters. In order to facilitate such challenge actions, the Action Plan suggests various support activities covering training/ guidance on weaving skills, prototype development through collaboration with renowned designers, participation in exhibition/ fashion event, sales promotion to the hotel industry, facilitation of raw material procurement, and so on. Furthermore, the LWG members agreed to closely coordinate among the stakeholders, so that each support activity would be serially extended in mutually complementary manner, and thus contributing to the challenge actions.

Ulos Weavers Targeted in the Action Plan

Fabric Ulos Displayed in Local Souvenir Shop