Lurik in the Hollywood Hills

To preserve Toraja woven cloth and empower female weavers, a former female activist started a bag-making business. Success has taken the bags all the way to Hollywood.

June 2, 2010

THE scene recurs every morning: sitting with knees bent and folded to one side on the floor of the store, Erni installs threads in rows on the weaving machine. “I can make the paramba, pamiring and paruki motifs,” said the mother of five, citing the various types of Toraja weave. The nameless store is located in Sa’dan, a district town in North Toraja, South Sulawesi, known as the center for weaving handicraft. Cloths, bags and shawls of va

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