Photo courtesy of photo by Ian Ray Garcia.
DAVAO CITY (PIA) — A prestigious fashion event, the Stellar Fashion Gala, participated in by top Dabawenyo designers, will showcase the innovative use of tropical fabrics developed by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) in Davao City.
“We’ve been holding this project; the first one was two years ago. This year we’re leveling up to a certain platform that would support the newest project of the DFDC, which is the b.LOOM project that is beyond the loom, which supports and encourages our weaving communities in the Davao Region to not only promote and practice their traditional weaving skills and tradition but also explore new ways of weaving with alternative materials that are tropical-based,” says fashion designer Emi Englis, president of the DFDC.
Englis said through the fashion show, they intend to promote the use of tropical fibers as the country is home to many tropical fibers such as abaca, pineapple, and banana.
“We also have new fiber blends developed by the PTRI, such as the saluyot and other endemic fibers, so part of this event is to actually launch a campaign to make the public aware we finally have to appreciate and utilize the materials that are developed from the fibers we have here,” Englis said.
The fashion designer highlighted the Philippines’ long-standing reliance on imported textiles, which has negatively impacted the country’s textile industry.
“This is also a way of helping our textile industry; since two decades ago we had ten textile mills, and now we’re down to only two,” Englis said. “If there is no textile industry, there is no fashion industry, as the textile is the essence of it,” he added.
Despite the Republic Act 9242, or the Philippine Tropical Fiber Law mandating the use of tropical fibers in government employee uniforms since 2002, strict implementation has been lacking, according to Davao Fashion and Design Council (DFDC) President Cary Santiago.
Englis highlighted the recent enactment of the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act, which brought the PTF law to the forefront for the fashion industry sector.
“This is where we saw the potential and viability of really capitalizing on this industry, especially as it’s more associated with us,” Englis said.
The DFDC has long recognized the importance of developing native fibers, and Englis emphasized that the timing is ideal as the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) has been intensifying its efforts in research and development of these materials.
The Stellar Fashion Gala, showcasing a 100-piece collection of luxe resort apparel crafted from piña, cotton, abaca, and bamboo, will feature esteemed DFDC member designers including Aztec Barba, Dodjie Batu, Popoy Barba, Edgar Buyan, Egay Ayag, Windel Mira, Benjie Panizales, and Englis.
The fashion show will take place on September 28 at the Samal Grand Ballroom, Discovery Samal’s newest and largest event space. (RGA/PIA Davao)
