Artisan quality key to standing out
ALONG Gov. M. Cuenco Ave. in Cebu City, a repository of creative pieces like textiles, chairs, and home decors made out of abaca, raffia, and bamboo are displayed for the public to see.
This is where the Material Innovation Center (MATIC) lies, a joint project of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Since 2008, it has served as a venue for small, and medium-sized enterprises and exporters to find new and innovative materials that they can use for production.
Inspired by the demand for innovative and sustainable materials, especially among Europeans, MATIC aims to assist more small and medium enterprises and exporters to develop new products made of inidgenous materials--especially now where competition from China in terms of mass production and affordability haunt the local creatives.
For DOST Cebu Director Tristan L. Abando, standing out from among the rest is what local creatives need to focus on.
“We are really banking on the design and the creativity of our products because it is difficult to compete with China in terms of mass production,,” Abando shared in a press conference yesterday.
To compete, Patricia Kyle Mendoza, ECCP MATIC project officer, encouraged local creatives to stand out in the global market by producing products of artisan quality.
“Ours (in Cebu and in the Visayas) is more of the artisan quality, niche items. There’s added advantages like sustainable production and consumption. We also want to make sure that there is fair trade between the communities and the manufacturers. We also want to highlight the use of indigenous materials,” Mendoza said.
More than just a repository for material swatches and resources, the MATIC facility in Cebu City has become a venue for design industry players, a link to materials and design experts, as well as a gateway to technology suppliers.
On Wednesday, it launched the Design Technology Fusion Expanded (De-Tech Fusion Ex), an expansion of the resources and collection of innovative materials of MATIC where local creatives can collaborate in partnerships within the Southeast Asian Creative Cities Network (SEACCN) and provide additional training, including the further development of the hablon industry in Argao.
Managed by ECCP and supported by DOST, MATIC is also in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and in collaboration with the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF), Cebu GTH, FAME Foundation, and AFOS.