Papua New Guinea cloth on a New York fashion runway

John Mayers
8 hours ago
2 min read

The article tells the inspiring story of Florence Jaukae, a single mother from the Goroka province of Papua New Guinea, who transformed the traditional bilum—a hand-woven bag made from plant fibers—into a modern fashion business that reached the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Key Highlights of the Journey:

Breaking Tradition: Historically, bilum bags were deeply symbolic of a woman's social and marital status (often worn with a strap across the forehead). After being abandoned by her husband, Jaukae challenged these customary beliefs by sewing the bilum cloth into dresses. Despite initial community shock, she became known as the "Bilum Meri" (Bilum Woman) as her designs gained popularity.
Empowering Women: Jaukae used her success to help other single mothers and divorced women in her village. By organizing a "Bilum Festival" to coincide with major tourist events, she created a marketplace for local weavers to sell their work directly to international visitors.
The New York Moment: In 2014, Jaukae participated in the LDNY (London-New York) Festival at the UN. Fashion students from the London College of Fashion collaborated with her, eventually creating a hoodie made of her bilum cloth. Seeing her traditional craft on a New York runway moved Jaukae to tears, marking the transition of the bilum from a functional village tool to international "ethnic haute couture."
Modernization & Scale: Other women, like Dorothy Ketau, followed Jaukae’s lead by modernizing production (using machines to twist yarn and synthetic dyes) to make the products more affordable for local markets. Ketau’s business now supports a group of weavers and produces thousands of items for events like the South Pacific Games.

The Impact:

The movement has shifted the cultural definition of "bilum" from just a bag to a versatile textile. It has provided economic independence for marginalized women in PNG while preserving a traditional art form by adapting it for the global fashion stage.