Weaving Mountains Into Wearable Dreams: Tanoti’s SUMMITS Ascends Into A New Era Of Sarawakian Fashion

The sun rises slowly from the east, a glowing golden ball against a sky that moves from the soft mauve of dawn into an immense, lucid blue. Far above the forests of Southeast Asia, the region’s great summits remain half-hidden beneath dense veils of mist. 

Rocky craters, windswept ridges and barren high-altitude ground emerge and disappear with the shifting fog; in the highest reaches, an unexpected sheet of snow can transform the landscape into something almost otherworldly.

For centuries, mountains across Southeast Asia have occupied that mysterious territory between geography and mythology. They have been imagined as abodes of gods, resting places for spirits and enchanted kingdoms inhabited by supernatural beings of extraordinary beauty and power. 

Peninsula Malaysia has its Puteri Gunung Ledang of Mount Ophir; Sarawak has Puteri Santubong, whose legend remains immortalised in one of the region’s most enduring folk songs.

It is from this dreamlike realm that Tanoti Sdn Bhd draws the inspiration for SUMMITS, its first ready-to-wear presentation at Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week 2026. And what a debut it is.

Rather than simply depicting mountains, designer Fitri Nasaruddin translates their spirit.

Bukit Pagon in Brunei, Phnom Aural in Cambodia, Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia, Puncak Jaya in Indonesia, Mount Apo in the Philippines and Fansipan in Vietnam become abstract undulations, rhythmic motifs and atmospheric patterns woven into the very substance of the clothes. 

The mountains are not printed upon the collection as picturesque souvenirs; they are encoded into its textiles.

This is an important distinction. SUMMITS is not heritage costume masquerading as contemporary fashion. It is a confident proposition that Sarawakian craft can occupy the modern wardrobe on its own terms.

The opening look makes the argument immediately. A resplendent white, high-necked gown with elongated sleeves and regal embellishment appears to hover between snow-capped summit and drifting cloud.

Its fluid construction moves beautifully with the wearer, producing an almost cinematic illusion: the woman seems less to walk than to glide through an atmosphere of mist and light.

Then come earthy neutrals, quiet mineral tones and sumptuous woven surfaces. Silhouettes are feminine without being overly sweet; fluidity is balanced by architectural structure, while generous movement gives the clothes an effortless sensuality. 

There is enough drama for evening, enough refinement for occasion dressing and, crucially, enough restraint to imagine individual pieces entering a sophisticated wardrobe.

That wearability may ultimately prove to be SUMMITS’ most persuasive quality.

At its heart are three distinctive Sarawakian textile traditions: Songket Sarawak, Pua Kumbu Ikat and Anyaman (plaiting). Traditionally associated with ceremonial dressing, cultural identity and the preservation of inherited knowledge, these textiles are too often placed within the narrow visual vocabulary of “heritage”. 

Yet Sarawakian designers have increasingly demonstrated their remarkable potential beyond traditional costume. SUMMITS takes that evolution further, allowing their abstract patterns, tactile richness and extraordinary irregularities to become the language of contemporary womenswear.

And behind every metre is a human story.

Songket weavers from Tanoti House, Kuching, pua kumbu weavers from Rumah Gare, Kapit, and Anyaman artisans from Long Tegan and Long Lunyim bring their specialised knowledge to the collection. The relationship between designer and maker is therefore not ornamental. It is integral. The designer imagines; the artisan interprets; the cloth carries both visions.

That is precisely where Tanoti becomes so fascinating.

Founded by Dato’ Jacqueline Fong and Dr June Ngo in Kuching in 2012, Tanoti has spent fourteen years creating an ecosystem around Sarawakian craft.

Its Tanoti House encompasses its weaving workshop, office, dormitory and retail gallery, while its wider community extends across 25 villages and currently involves more than 500 indigenous artisans representing seven of Sarawak’s 30 ethnic groups. Its three enduring commitments are heritage preservation, women’s empowerment and rural community building. 

This is social enterprise with a fashion sensibility—and increasingly, fashion with a conscience.

“Our ambition goes beyond retail – we want to centre-stage the work, life, history and culture of our artisans. The custodians of our heritage,” says Dato’ Jacqueline Fong, Co-Founder and CEO of Tanoti Sdn Bhd.

Her ambition is now moving decisively into Kuala Lumpur. Tanoti’s Isetan KLCC pop-up, running from 17 July to 19 August 2026, brings its fashion, accessories and home collections together while inviting visitors to experience weaving and craft through workshops and demonstrations. 

Later in November, its first Kuala Lumpur flagship is scheduled to open at 118 Mall within the Malaysian Artisan District at Merdeka 118, giving Tanoti a permanent urban platform.

“With this flagship store, Tanoti is now well positioned to represent the crafts and material culture of Sarawak and the region, in Kuala Lumpur’s mainstream fashion and lifestyle scene.”

There is something quietly radical about that statement. For Tanoti, retail is not the end of the story; it is another mechanism for keeping knowledge alive.

Its current impact record reflects that philosophy: Tanoti describes its mission as nurturing remaining artisanal skills, creating viable careers and building vibrant ecosystems around heritage craft. 

And so SUMMITS arrives at an unusually consequential moment.

The collection asks us to reconsider what luxury actually means. Is it the rarity of a logo, or the rarity of knowledge? Is it the perfection of a machine-made surface, or the subtle evidence of a human hand? 

Is it fashion that merely looks beautiful—or fashion whose beauty sustains something precious beyond itself?

Tanoti has a compelling answer.

Invest in the cloth. Invest in the woman who made it. Invest in the knowledge that made the cloth possible.

Because with SUMMITS, Tanoti has done something more seductive than simply modernising Sarawakian textiles.

It has made the mountain wearable.

Tanoti artisanal products are sold in Tanoti House, Kuching; GMBB Mall, Kuala Lumpur; and consignees including The Datai Langkawi, Mandarin Oriental Desaru Coast, UNPLUG, the Borneo Cultures Museum Shop and Remedy. 

For more information on Tanoti, visit https://tanoticrafts.com/ today. 

*Photos courtesy of Tanoti.