Organised by Yayasan Budi Penyayang Malaysia, the inaugural Kuala Lumpur International Batik (KLIB) Convention& Exhibition was held in 2005. With speakers from 15 different countries, that Convention was attended by some 500 people from various fields – artists, designers, students, lecturers, people in the batik and handicrafts industry, batik enthusiasts and aficionados. The Exhibition, which had a wide array of batik fashion and products, had some 10,000 visitors.

The theme of the Convention, "The Business of Batik", is intentionally wide, allowing for participation from anyone related to the batik craft and industry including the wider areas of textiles and textile production, fashion and marketing, new technology, new trends in textile decoration, new applications as well as batik art history and craft & heritage preservation.

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The Kuala Lumpur International Batik (KLIB) Convention & Exhibition is an initiative by Datin Paduka Seri Endon Mahmood, the late wife of the Prime Minister of Malaysia. KLIB comes under the umbrella of activities which are organised as part of the Malaysia Batik - Crafted For the World movement. Datin Paduka Seri Endon was the patron of this movement, which was launched in September 2003. The patron of the movement is now the Prime Minister himself.

The activities of the event are managed by Yayasan Budi Penyayang Malaysia (Penyayang) in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Arts & Heritage.

The Chairman of Penyayang is Puan Nori Abdullah, daughter of the Prime Minister and the late Datin Paduka Seri Endon Mahmood.
 
  • To develop an international network of batik enthusiasts
  • To foster closer ties amongst batik producing countries
  • To create a forum for batik craft and industry people across the world
  • To share techniques, innovations, technology and marketing strategies
    for the batik craft and industry
  • To focus on the long-term relevance, growth, progress and prominence
    of the batik craft and industry internationally.