Philippine Tropical Fabrics Month displayed the potential of sustainable fibers from banana to pineapple.

Held each January, the event highlights awareness of local fabrics and collaboration between industry players and research institutions to promote innovation in clothing production.

This year’s highlight was a fashion show aimed at boosting commercial production of indigenous tropical fabrics woven from silk as well as natural fibers drawn from plants such as banana, pineapple and abaca.

Now a decade old, the exposition is geared towards farmers, handloom weavers of natural textiles, retailers and millers, and the producers of uniforms of various types. Fashion and innovation meshed together during the event when office uniforms, designed by local artisans and made from tropical textiles spun out of natural fibers, got an airing.

The Philippines pioneered textile production in southeast Asia. Large-scale textile manufacturing began as early as 1906. But changes in global trade, preferential policies, lack of technical knowledge and investments saw the garment and textile industry’s export value drop. But the country remains competitive in the mid- to high-end market mainly for its prized embroidery and intricate design capabilities including handwoven fabrics made with indigenous fibers.

The industry is experimenting in areas such as new natural dyes, which replace toxic chemicals in the processing of textiles.