Digitalization of prototypes and of handloom weaving is seen revitalizing the textile and fashion industry.
Evangeline Flor Manalang, supervising science research specialist at the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI), in a recent webinar for the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc., said the so-called “digitelazation” program will future-proof the country’s struggling garments and fashion industry.
The program aims to address issues on slow turnaround and counterfeiting.
Manalang said even after several decades, the industry remains to still be in the cut, make and trim process, which represents the lowest in the value chain.
She said while the Philippines is endowed with rich sources of natural fibers, the textile industry has been doing poorly in global trade, and relies heavily on imports.
Citing recent statistics, Manalang said the Philippines recorded only $286 million in exports while importing $1.286 billion, thereby incurring a trade deficit of $1 billion.
PTRI’s “digitelazation” calls for digital prototyping through integrated product development systems to move up the global apparel value chain.
She said the industry should get into design, sales and branding stage which has the highest value in the global value chain.
Manalang said the total timeline for the traditional development of garments is roughly 148 days or five months. Digital textile prototyping is a way to make the process more efficient.
“We are trying to incorporate advanced technologies, AI, digitalization so we can cope with the long process of prototyping,” the science officer explained.
To support digital prototyping, PTRI is adopting an integrated textile product development system that is precise, rapid, efficient, seamless, sustainable, and cost competitive.
Manalang added to achieve this, they are developing a web-based application that will facilitate design making. Once running, the app will give an unlimited number of users access to a database of designs “so that designers, manufacturers and students can make use of what’s available in the app and for faster garment prototyping since we are building on the digital library.”
Digitelazation also entails digitalizing the handloom weaving sector, which is plagued by several challenges, foremost of which is counterfeiting, said Manalang.
She noted 60 percent of counterfeit goods in the country fall under the textile category.
Another concern is the advancing age of the handloom weavers, raising issues about the cultural preservation of this unique industry.
The digitalization aims to profile the weavers, designs, and products; protect intellectual property; preserve the weaving heritage and culture; and promote local production and raw materials. The program has three components, namely, digital weaving registry, digitalization of weaves, and covert security marks.
