REINVENTING TENUN: WHEN HERITAGE BECOMES A LIVING LANGUAGE

Images courtesy of Wilsen Willim

The six-episode series follows Wilsen Willim’s journey toward Algorithm: Universal Language

Wilsen Willim takes tenun from the weaving village to couture—and makes the journey itself part of the story.

Fashion often celebrates the finished garment. Reinventing Tenun: Journey to Algorithm asks us to look back at where it begins.

Presented by Interni Cipta Selaras

Created as part of Wilsen Willim’s 10-year anniversary and the making of his first couture collection, Algorithm: Universal Language, the six-episode docuseries follows his journey across four textile territories: Jembrana, Bali, for Songket; South Bandung, West Java, for Garut silk; Kapuas Hulu–Putussibau, West Kalimantan, for Dayak Iban weaving; and Halaban, West Sumatra, for Minang Songket.

Wilsen works directly with local weavers, translating their techniques and knowledge into contemporary couture. Central to the process is recycled denim yarn from Ecotouch, represented by Christina Harjanto, bringing material innovation and sustainability into the traditional weaving process.

The collaboration extends into a wider creative network. Eva Oemah Batiqu contributes Ciwaringin batik from Cirebon; Cannesia Soekotjo of Peau, leather; Ingrid Saidbun of Bocorocco, footwear; and Diatri Mitha and Valerie Hadiningrat of Subeng Klasik, accessories. The project is supported by Yayasan Kawan Lama, represented by Tasya Kusnadi, with textile mentor and advocate Sjamsidar Isa providing guidance.

The result is more than a couture collection. It is a case for collaboration as a contemporary way of preserving craft.

Directed by filmmaker and photographer Jibril Erlangga, the documentary follows the process from the weaving communities to the runway, culminating in the presentation of Algorithm: Universal Language at Hotel Mulia on 8 July 2026 and its Re-See at Rumah Heritage Jakarta the following day. The six episodes were later assembled into a 56-minute-57-second film for a limited premiere at XXI Plaza Indonesia, coinciding with Wilsen’s 33rd birthday, followed by a special student screening at FLIX ASHTA District 8.

What makes Wilsen’s project compelling is that heritage does not survive by remaining untouched; it survives by remaining relevant. Wilsen sees tenun not as a museum object, but as a living design language—one that can engage with couture, recycled materials and contemporary creativity while retaining its connection to place and hand.

From Bali to Sumatra, Java to Kalimantan, Reinventing Tenun makes a compelling case for Indonesian weaving as more than heritage: a contemporary creative resource, a platform for collaboration, and a living language still capable of evolving.