Panublix held an online event on April 30, 2022 titled Craft Jam: Futures in Filipino FabricsĀ which provided a space to learn about tropical yarns and textiles with fellow creatives, artists, and crafters. As a tech platform that connects designers with tropical textiles, Panublix organized this event in collaboration with Philippine Fashion Coalition to help foster a community centered around Philippine tropical fabrics.
Hosted by crochet artist Carmela Gonzales of Reclamare PH, Craft Jam welcomed two guest speakers: Michael Claparols, co-founder of social enterprise Creative Definitions, and Ceryl Tubungan, crochet artist and owner of The Attic Yarn and Craftery (one of Panublixās resellers).
Participants all over the Philippines (coming from as far as Isabela, Baguio, and Aklan) listened on as the guest speakers shared their knowledge and expertise in different fields:
Mr. Claparols shared the story of Creative Definitions as a social enterprise - how they shifted from reselling to collaborating with local weaving communities and how they partnered with Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) to develop the technology needed to process Philippine tropical fabrics. This enabled the production of 100% pineapple leaf fabric which is then handwoven by weaving communities into products.
Ms. Noreen Bautista of Panublix noted how the textile industry is multifaceted - including not only technology, but also art and culture - just as the Philippine Fashion Coalition has acknowledged for years. She also pointed out that the textile industry would need to change to do its part in battling climate change, with designers and brands like Creative Definitions already paving the way for this future.
The next guest speaker, Ms. Tubungan, talked about how she came across Panublix as a reseller and what itās like to use the Panublix cotton yarn for crochet projects. She then gave a short tutorial on how to do crochet stitches and shared online resources for crafters.
Philippine Fashion Coalition (PFC) representative Ally Gutierrez, who moderated the discussion at the end of the program, highlighted the importance of the textiles, arts and crafts sector as the backbone of the fashion industry. PFC is a business support organization that advocates for the needs and concerns of fashion professionals and works towards the preservation of culture and heritage.
Craft Jam ended with a discussion on the topic of sustainability, with insights from speakers and participants about how Filipino yarns and fabric could play a role in making the textile, fashion, and design industries more ethical in terms of empowering artisan communities and protecting the environment.
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We at Panublix are thrilled to have seen so many participants join us for this enlightening Craft Jam, and we canāt wait to hold more events like this in the future.
Join our Facebook group if youāre interested in sharing anything related to tropical textiles and yarns - from interesting insights to your very own creations!
Click here to join: Philippine Tropical Fabrics & Yarns Community
And if you want to stay updated on our events, you can follow Panublix on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/panublix
Instagram: www.instagram.com/panublix
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/panublix
Learn more about our partners and guest speakers:
Philippine Fashion Coalition
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PhilippineFashionCoalition/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/philippinefashioncoalition/
Lakat Sustainables
Website: https://www.creativedefinitions.com/collections/natural-fibers
The Attic Yarn and Craftery
Website: www.theatticyarnandcraftery.com/
Reclamare PH
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reclamare.ph