For the past 2 months we’ve been in collaboration with a really interesting collective of weavers and yesterday we had a peak of the results: Woven Seatcovers and Lamps are being produced for the 3 upcoming learning centers. All items are made of Pandan, a grass that is grown, dried and dyed locally.
The corporative was established in 2015 in a small village outside Baybay City, Leyte and employed at that time 15-20 local women. Today the corporative are employing 80 women that are daily producing Pandan woven Handbags, Lamps and other accessories for export to countries like El Salvador and Japan. In total 8 weavers are helping us with the production of 10 lamps and 25 cushions for the upcoming Learning Centers.
By bringing locally woven products into the interiors of the centers, we wish not only to celebrate the method but also raise the status of native woven products in an area where foreign and industrial is often the preferred choice. While we are fascinated by the possibilities of local craft materials we often debate how to achieve an appropriate balance and avoid making the centers resemble a tourist gift shop. In a few weeks we will be able to judge the results as the Centers are near completion. In the meantime we are enjoying the beautiful simplicity of these products.
