We are very excited to have this milestone of formally signing an agreement with the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) and the Regional Yarn Production and Innovation Center (RYPIC).
Panublix has been designed to be a business aimed at connecting artisan enterprises like handloom weavers with the global fashion & design market that is now in the digital economy
When the COVID19 pandemic hit, the mission became all the more urgent. Panublix is a tech startup. But there is one insight that we discovered that we need to also focus on aside from digitizing our weavers & crafters.
This is the fundamental need to strengthen our weavers for the global market is to source our NATURAL SUSTAINABLE FIBERS & TROPICAL YARNS. This is why we made it a priority to support RYPIC.
In the past few months we have helped connect more than 120kg of Tropical Yarn made out of Philippine Cotton, Cotton-Abaca and Cotton-Pineapple.
In jut a short span, our yarns have already been shipped to designers in Manila, Milan, Paris and even to our community partners not just in Iloilo but also in Cordillera.
We want to acknowledge the partners who are now weaving our RYPIC yarns: Baraclayan Weavers in Miagao, Salngan Weavers in Oton, JAF Handicrafts in Aklan and the School of Living Traditions of the Itneg tribe in the province of Abra.
The fact that RYPIC is also based in the Iloilo Science and Technology University is very serendipitous being that Panublix is also an incubatee of ISATU's Kwadra Technology Business Incubator that aims to nurture deep tech startups for inclusive growht & sustainable development.
But of course the challenges are still immense. Our clients in Europe are strongly emphasizing the need to develop the quality of our raw materials to match the international standards.
This is why we in Panublix strongly value the role of R&D, science & technology. We want to help not only in the market access but also in the quality standardizations needed from yarn and even down to the farms & fibers so we can produce quality tropical yarns that will help the global fashion industry transition away from crude-oil synthetic fibers like polyester.
We are not just in a pandemic, but also in a climate crisis. Therefore this makes our work in Panublix, RYPIC and ISATU all the more urgent.
And we at Panublix are up for the challenge! Our team is composed of a diverse set of individuals with backgrounds in business, design, social impact but also in engineering and biotechnology. Because solving this systemic issue requires systems thinking & diversity. Having said this, we are very excited to this partnership!
We always say in our pitches that this is the best time to pursue this. Previous pandemics like the Bubonic Plague and the Spanish Flu were immediately followed by a period of economic renaissance.
Through this partnership we can truly create transformative impact, not just to #InnovateIloilo's Textile Heritage, but also to position the Philippines as a major player in the sustainable fashion industry as a leader in the production of tropical textiles that respects our culture, humanity, and natural biodiversity.
We want to acknowledge our #PanublixPartners who are now weaving our RYPIC tropical yarns:
- Baraclayan Weavers in Miagao, Iloilo
- Salngan Weavers in Oton, Iloilo
- JAF Handicrafts in Kalibo, Aklan
- Namarabar the School of Living Traditions of the Itneg tribe in the province of Abra.
Want to be a partner too and access our tropical yarns for #handloomweaving? Sign up at bit.ly/panublixcommunity
Madamo gid nga salamat, and we look forward to continuing collaborating with all the stakeholders!
#TropicalYarns #TropicalTextiles #Weaving #Hablon #SustainableFashion #InnovateIloilo #Textile #Panublion