The French Embassy, the Alliance Française de Manille, the Designer Fashion Workshop, the Institut Supérieur du Textile Alsace (ISTA), HABI, and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde organized a workshop on textiles that launched an initial step towards the improvement of existing techniques, technologies, designers’ skills, and the working conditions of local weavers and manufacturers.
Mr. Marc Mikulaniec, a French textile engineer, led a workshop which sought to work on the entire chain of traditional Piña production by visiting sites (operating and weaving in Aklan) and talking with various industry professionals.
The objective of the program was to develop various techniques applied in the production of textiles using piña, a natural fiber found in the Philippines and to create a more dynamic textile industry in the country that is able to meet international standards. The textiles produced during the workshop will be exhibited by Rustan’s later this year.
Running from July 11 to 14, the workshop enabled participants to be trained in both theory and practice. Following the workshop, the designers should be able to create items from textiles developed by the trained weavers. Outputs will soon be presented in FrancoPhil’s succeeding cultural events.
