Ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Batasang Pambansa Complex, Quezon City yesterday, different fashion and design groups gathered in Pasay City to give a peek at the state of Philippine fashion.
At last Friday’s “TelaHistoria” launch in Casa Buenas, Newport World Resorts, organizers said fashion events like the “TelaHistoria” gala night in Newport Performing Arts Theater on 1 August will open the National Language Month by celebrating not only Filipino fabrics, but also the spirit, heritage and countless stories woven into the textiles’ every thread.
In a presentation titled “State of Sustainable Fashion in the Philippines,” John Alexis Revilla, “TelaHistoria’s” director for marketing, chief marketing officer of “Balik Pinas, Balik Saya,” and Philippine Marketing Chapters committee chair, shared some findings from their research and suggested solutions.
Clothing sales up, repeat wear going down
“So some of the insightful things that we have is this one — it states that over the past decade, clothing sales are increasing exponentially each year while clothing (reusing) continues to decline worldwide. This is not just in our country, this is worldwide,” Revilla said.
According to Revilla and his team’s research, 29 percent of Filipinos throw their clothing after wearing it once, while 71 percent wear their clothes more than once.
“Another thing is sustainable fashion has (gained) further attention over the past decade because of the sudden increase in clothing purchases worldwide. It’s becoming a global topic that even Filipinos have become more aware of in the past few years.”
Although there is high awareness among Filipinos about sustainability, actual “consumer behavior does not reflect awareness of sustainable fashion in the Philippines,” Revilla fretted.
Their data showed 99 percent of Filipinos have thrown at least one piece of clothing after single use; while more than 50 percent of clothes in Filipinos’ closets are new each year.
The repercussions of bad buying habits extend way beyond the closet, Revilla warned.
“Did you know that you need 2,700 liters of water to make one shirt? That’s how much a normal person drinks in over a three-year period,” he shared. “Fifteen to 30 percent of the plastic pollution is (composed) of microplastics and 35 percent of that comes from laundry detergent substances.”
According to him, “Given how much Filipinos purchase and dispose of clothing, just imagine the scale of textile waste being produced by the consumer behavior. Since this buying habit is also being cultivated, clothing production will continue to contribute in water and plastics pollution.”
More imports than exports
“Imported garments have been increasing in the Philippines,” he reported, showing a graph of “the correlation between the Philippine imports and exports from 1991 to 2018.”
He said, “So, the global increase of clothing sales is evident in the country as government imports from other countries have significantly increased since 2012, while exports are slowly dwindling down. If our exports are dwindling down, therefore, it’s basic or it goes without saying that business is not doing well for some.”
From immigration to homecoming
Canada, said the Philippines’ Foreign Affairs department, has the third largest population of Filipino immigrants in the world. From healthcare and hospitality, Filipinos in Canada are also making waves in other industries such as fashion.
Last Saturday, the Filipino-Canadian community’s Calgary International Fashion and Arts Week (CIFAW) held its first-ever Philippine Fashion Weekend at the Manila Marriott Hotel Grand Ballroom to serve as an artistic platform and inspiration for Filipino-Canadians worldwide, Filipino-Canadian director, CIFAW president and chief executive officer (CEO) Limuel Vilela told DAILY TRIBUNE.
According to him, fashion is used in Canada to tell their stories as Filipinos.
CIFAW, according to him and fellow Filipino-Canadian Alvin Masangkay Francia, chief operating officer and chief creative director, serves as an avenue for expressions, cultural appreciation and to hear voices from all walks of life; “a place where individuals overcome their fears and doubts; where they step into the spotlight and express their own true selves.”
“CIFAW stands as a testament to the power of resilience. It has been home to countless artists, designers and performers who have poured their hearts into their craft, not only for applause, but for the opportunity to be seen, to be heard, and (to be a) force to inspire others,” Vilela and Francia said in their opening remarks.
“And now, as CIFAW celebrates its ninth year, the journey comes full circle. We are finally coming home. As we come home to the Philippines, CIFAW is not just bringing fashion and art; we are bringing a message of hope, of what’s possible when we believe in ourselves. And the power of our dreams. This is our pasalubong (gift) to the Philippines, a testament to how far dreams can take us.”
Resolutions
1. Increase patronage of Filipino products
To promote the fashion and artisan industries, Revilla highlighted the importance of patronage of Filipino-made products by creating relevant activities.
“TelaHistoria,” for one, is a marketing initiative in the form of a benefit fashion show to support indigenous communities and their youth in producing different types of Filipino fabrics and arts.
“Your support fuel the continuity of culture, creativity, community and empowerment,” said “TelaHistoria” Bessie Rustia, executive producer, president and Board chair of the event’s organizer, Global Linkages.
Apart from buying local goods, patronage means knowing the exact origins and stories behind every Filipino fabric or raw material, said Revilla.
“Like, for example… when you go to the grocery, you want to buy (a product) for your personal care, where do you go? You go to the store. You even memorize where it is in the grocery store. But when we are talking about Filipino fabrics (do you know where to go?), not to mention, people are really working so hard just to produce one kind!” he pointed out.
He also recommended empowering local weavers “to produce more products that can be exported to different countries.”
“If people are only selling here and the competition is higher, it’s more concentrated, what chances of earning more do they have? Of course, we have to assist them in exploring different projects.”
2. More collaborations
More than just a fashion show, initiatives like “TelaHistoria” feature the collaboration among local weavers, designers and luminaries from different industries.
“The convergence of local materials, invaluable talents and success stories is interpreted through fashion, design and artistry,” Revilla attested.
More collaborations abroad, he said, means more exports than imports in Philippine fashion.
“For the Philippine exporter of textiles, it is really lucrative if you’re bringing your textiles to the United States, followed by Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand,” he said.
Right now, just like in any part of the world, there’s always fusion and collaboration and improvement and development, but it’s all about the signs of times. The environment would dictate what we really need, we do clothing for protection and we must be focused and be objective,” Philippine Fashion Week co-founder Joey Espino Jr. told DAILY TRIBUNE.
3. Less and less ‘Made in China’
Before China became the world’s biggest manufacturer in the 2000s, Taytay, a municipality in the Philippine province of Rizal, was the Philippines’ so-called “garments capital.”
Today, the municipality has been regaining its reputation, said actress and Taytay councilor Cai Cortez, daughter of actor Rez Cortez, with Manila’s biggest markets and shopping centers, Baclaran and Divisoria, romping up the demand for garments from Taytay instead of China.
In fact, Cortez told DAILY TRIBUNE in an interview, almost every household in Taytay has a sewing machine and is still into sub-contracting for clothing manufacturing, making fashion the town’s biggest income driver.
4. End-to-end sustainability
In Taytay, circularity is achieved by turning katsa (flour sacks) into clothes, while all fabric scraps are turned into rags, doormats or pot holders, said Cortez.
Besides increasing reliance on locally-made clients instead of exports, Revilla suggested using local sustainable materials like abaca and piña instead of imported and synthetic ones that contribute to textile waste.
“Further aggregate responsible consumer behavior and manufacturing garments to reduce textile waste and increase the repeated use of clothes,” he vouched.
“Now, this is our campaign, the end-to-end sustainability in the industry, from natural to national to international. Natural yarns become fabrics; fabrics become clothes. When you have your clothes, you bring in a perception…the design becomes a statement…”