Jakarta Students Turn Scrap Fabric into Indonesian Map and Fashion

Seventeen students from five Jakarta schools transformed scrap fabric into a 2.5-by-1.5-meter map of Indonesia for a charity event supporting people with disabilities.

The students worked independently for several months, collecting and arranging donated fabric and preparing the event. They came from ACS Jakarta, Jakarta Intercultural School, British School Jakarta, Santa Ursula BSD and Sekolah Murid Merdeka.

The project, called Weaving Nusantara, formed part of Style Avenue, a fashion and lifestyle bazaar organized by KKB BNI as part of BNI wondrX 2026. The event raised funds for Yayasan Wisma Cheshire Indonesia, which supports people with disabilities. The students used leftover fabric to convey ideas about sustainability, diversity and inclusion.

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These pieces were initially just discarded fragments of stories. On their own, they had lost their meaning. But when placed side by side, they found a new home.

“These pieces were initially just discarded fragments of stories. On their own, they had lost their meaning. But when placed side by side, they found a new home,” project director Howard Alvias said. He added that the project was about giving new value and a second life to materials considered useless.

Students collaborated with KKB BNI mothers, volunteers and artisans with disabilities. The fabric map later served as the backdrop for “Benang Kedua,” a fashion show featuring 10 dresses by seven young designers. Weaving Nusantara also organized tote-bag decorating for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, a fabric mosaic competition for children aged 7 to 12, and a Make-A-Vest activity for teenagers aged 13 to 18.

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This is not only about creating a work of art. It is about how we look again at something considered useless and give it a second life.