Cover Photo: Shangri-La Rasa Ria
Photo: Shangri-La Rasa Ria
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The award-winning luxury beach resort in Kota Kinabalu upholds its community-driven values, partnering with female artisans in Tuaran to make bathrobes exclusively for Shangri-La Rasa Ria
Situated amidst a 400-acre lush tropical forest with its very own nature reserve, Shangri-La Rasa Ria sits along the soft white sands of Pantai Dalit. A verdant green sanctuary with unhindered views of the South China Sea and down-to-earth Bornean hospitality, the resort is deeply connected to its community, employing and empowering Sabahans from Tuaran, many of whom have relatives or friends who were also employed by the 5-star resort back in its early days since opening in August 1996.
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Sustainability is a strong part of Shangri-La Rasa Ria's ethos, evident in the community projects that it initiates. These range from environmental clean-up days and tree planting activities to ongoing efforts to preserve the way of life and traditions of local communities, including the Bajau Samah people–an ethnic subgroup of the Bajau tribe, who are the second largest indigenous group in Sabah.
The resort's Sampan Bar overlooks the sea
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Rasa Ria’s latest creative collaboration pays homage to an aspect of Bajau Samah culture. An effort that began in 2021, the resort’s mission to foster sustainable business practices and empower the Tuaran community culminated in a collaboration with a Sabah-based social enterprise known as Changgih Designs.
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The latest outcome of this fruitful partnership is the eye-catching Sarimpak robe, available in adults’ and kids’ sizes. The colourful robe is inspired by the vibrant patterns and silhouettes of the Sarimpak, an ornamental headdress worn by the Bajau Samah people as part of their traditional ceremonial costume.
Above The Sarimpak robe project took over 1,500 fair wage hours, enabling stay-at-home mums to earn a significant income to support their families.
Above The Sarimpak robe project took over 1,500 fair wage hours, enabling stay-at-home mums to earn a significant income to support their families.
The Sarimpak robe project took over 1,500 fair wage hours, enabling stay-at-home mums to earn a significant income to support their families.
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The Sarimpak robes are the handiwork of 15 talented Tuaran seamstresses who worked closely with Changgih Designs to handcraft the designs and tailor them to Shangri-La’s high standards. All 15 artisans involved in the project are stay-at-home mothers who were able to earn extra income and support their families without leaving their homes for long periods.
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“As the Sarimpak robe project unfolded, we were delighted to witness the incredible talent and dedication of the Tuaran artisans,” says Rasa Ria general manager Fiona Hagan. “We are proud that this initiative not only supports sustainable practices but also strengthens our ties with the community in a meaningful way, as many of our colleagues come from this community.”
Above 27 June 2023: Eight artisans who worked on the Sarimpak robes attended the collaboration launch at Shangri-La Rasa Ria's The Courtyard (Photo: Shangri-La Rasa Ria)
27 June 2023: Eight artisans who worked on the Sarimpak robes attended the collaboration launch at Shangri-La Rasa Ria's The Courtyard (Photo: Shangri-La Rasa Ria)
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After the women attended various training sessions at Rasa Ria, they worked hard and were involved throughout the process, from selecting fabrics and handcrafting the designs to the actual tailoring. The project took over 1,500 fair wage hours, enabling the stay-at-home mums to earn a significant income to support their families.
On June 27, 2023, at the official launch of the Sarimpak robe at the resort, these behind-the-scenes artisans had a chance to step into the limelight and share their inspiring stories, some who demonstrated a relentless will and eagerness to learn a new skills and others who didn't hide their gratitude at being able to earn a four-figure income for the first time, thanks to collaborations like these.
Before this, Shangri-La Rasa Ria worked with Changgih Designs on a project that saw 22 local artisans repurposing discarded linen from the hotel into beautifully designed drawstring bags for Rasa Ria’s Junior Naturalist programme.
“For this collaboration with Rasa Ria, we had eight ladies who, prior to the project, had not worked with Changgih Designs before,” says Changgih Designs co-founder Bethany Dawson. “Since working with us from February of this year onwards, the eight have received about the equivalent of what would be full-time job pay almost every single month, except that they’re working from their homes. It has given mothers, aunts, and grandmothers in Tuaran the freedom to help with their family’s income for basic daily necessities, education and more. Thanks to this collaboration, we have also received many more orders, be it from our retail side or followup orders from the hotel and other businesses as a result of the drawstring bags and robes created for the resort.”
Available in cheerful colours of aquamarine and blue, the Sarimpak robe is available for in-room use by guests staying in the Ocean Wing suites and family rooms. The robe can also be purchased as a gift or souvenir at The Shop and The Spa, a beautiful memento representing the local craftsmanship and heritage that inspired this project.
If you plan to visit Sabah, drop by this family-friendly resort to immerse yourself in Tuaran's natural beauty and local Bajau Samah culture. From the famed Sunrise Hike up Pogimpaan Summit in the Rasa Ria Reserve–a 64 acre coastal jungle nestled at the foot of Sabah’s iconic Mount Kinabalu–to the riveting Land of Linangkit tour through the Bajau Samah Cultural Centre in Tuaran, the resort offers so many sublime ways to pause, rewind, and reconnect with the beauty of Borneo, its people, and its treasured artisanal heritage.
Previously contributing to Esquire Malaysia, Expat Lifestyle and Newsweek, Tania oversees digital stories across Tatler’s key content pillars, also leading the Front & Female platform exploring issues and topics affecting women today.
