The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) has officially launched its PTRI Textile Gallery, Design and Innovation Hub and the Philippine Textile e-portal as part of the 2021 Tela Conference with the theme “Fashioning Philippine Textiles in the Now Normal and in the Year of the Creative Economy” on 28 January 2021.

The newly launched textile hub is the place-to-be for all those who need workspace and who want to collaborate with other textile innovators where they can take advantage of the DOST-PTRI’s facilities and expertise.

The hub will not only showcase the latest innovation in the textile industry, but it will also be opened for designers, MSMEs, and start-up companies as a collaborative hub where they can come together and showcase the talent and designs, enabling them to develop innovative Philippine textile products.

Miss Universe PH 2nd runner-up, also a textile advocate, Michelle Gumabao personally gave a tour of the textile hub that showcased its many features. It has an exhibition space where DOST-PTRI’s products such as natural dyed textiles and woven fabrics from all over the country are displayed.

Likewise, its wide space can also be used by fashion designers and entrepreneurs for product and collection presentations. While its conference room is ideal for more intimate and virtual meetings. The hub also has co-working spaces that are ideal for product prototyping and technical consultations.

Textile goes digital

The DOST-PTRI also launched its e-portal called the Philippine Textiles Portal (http://philippinetextiles.com/), a project initiated after the Great Women Project II, a collaboration with the Philippine Commission for Women (PCW).

The online platform aims to connect people with the handloom weaving and natural dyeing communities. The website houses relevant information such as the history of the Philippines’ weaving and dyeing culture, a color library, and a directory of communities and producers of local fabrics that can be matched with both domestic and international buyers.

“This is a physical and also virtual space for collaboration among our various textile stakeholders, whether they be in the National Capital Region or they are designers, social enterprises, entrepreneurs, or our weaving communities and dyeing communities in the provinces and other regions,” says DOST-PTRI Director Celia B. Elumba in her opening remarks. “The goal is to reach all textile innovators from all over the country.”

The e-portal will also serve as online one-stop-shop for customers, suppliers, weavers especially Women’s Micro‐ enterprises/ Women Micro Entrepreneurs (WMEs) to network with each other, thereby widening the market reach of WMES to help them increase their sales.

To know more about the TELA Gallery, Textile Design and Innovation Hub and Philippine Textile e-Portal, interested parties can send their inquiries through an email to ptri@ptri.dost.com.ph.