Giving a soft cotton touch to the Mandaya’s Dagmay cloth
By Maya M. Padillo
Correspondent
DAVAO CITY — Local designer Wilson Niñofranco Limon is coming up with a clothing line that will combine cotton fabric and the Dagmay textile of the Mandaya indigenous people in Davao Oriental.
Dagmay is made from abaca fiber and its colors are extracted from barks, seeds, fruits, and other natural dyes.
Mr. Limon, whose Niñofranco brand has been known to use various indigenous cloths, said the new venture using Dagmay required not just permission but immersion with the Mandaya community who live in mountain areas.
“Strict kasi sila na tribe dahil pino-protektahan nila ang kanilang culture… Nag-immersion kami sa Mandaya community sa Sitio Sangab (They are a very strict tribe because they are protective of their culture… We went on an immersion in Sitio Sangab) and met the tribal leaders and discussed our plans of working with their artisans,” Mr. Limon told BusinessWorld.
The immersion, which Mr. Limon undertook in November last year together with representatives of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) regional office, was intended to give the designer a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Mandaya culture.
The DTI Davao Oriental provincial office has tapped Mr. Limon for a product development program on wearables — he is tasked to help the communities come up with new designs or incorporate Mandaya’s craftsmanship into modern clothing.
“We really need to tap the artisans directly. Before, I had to go through a middle man since there was no access to the community,” he said in mixed English and Filipino. He added that he also aims to help provide direct market linkages to the Mandaya weavers, who contrary to some perceptions, are thriving.
“The weavers say there are still many of them, they just don’t have the market. If Dagmay will be incorporated with cotton, we can help them market with designers and social entrepreneurs. Also with clients who are into contemporary ethnic clothing,” Mr. Limon said.
The designer is returning soon to the community to introduce cotton weaving, so the weavers themselves can start learning to incorporate it with the Dagmay designs as well as their traditional embroidery.
“We will evaluate their capacity and (how far) they are willing to collaborate,” he said.
For his brand Niñofranco, he said he has already produced a limited number of jackets using Dagmay and is still experimenting with shirts and blouses.
He said Mandaya designs are not commonly used yet, unlike those of the T’boli, or the beads of the Bagobo, and the Inaul from Lanao.
For his part, he said he is excited to tap more local artisans to give clients fresh designs.
