The entrepreneurial spirit of Mindanaoan lives on, from the early pre-Spanish era of maritime trade and commerce in the seas of Sulu, to the contemporary agile and innovative micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the island.
In Davao region, we take pride of our resilient and highly impassioned entrepreneurs who have successfully interlaced Mindanao’s culture in business and commerce.
Tinda, or “to sell,” features four of the most inspiring business organizations in Davao: Davao Fashion and Design Council Foundation, Inc. (DFDCI), Stellar, Habi Kadayawan, and Mindanao Trade Expo Foundation, Inc. (MTEFI). They represent the beauty, creativity, and richness of Mindanao culture.
Like the Philippine eagle, Davao entrepreneurs are brave. Dabawenyos are strong and resilient amidst the challenges that life throws at them. No matter how big or small these challenges are, Dabawenyos always get back on their feet. They brush off their knees, shrug their shoulders, and continue. “Padayon,” they would always say.
This resilience is translated into the products that we create.
Beautiful, genuine, and resilient. This is the Dabawenyo brand.
Our products are not mass-produced in factories for pure profit. Each design is unique and carefully crafted to tell the story of each designer, partner, and entrepreneur. From indigenous to modern to futuristic styles, our products bring to life the exquisiteness of our 11 tribes with respect, cultural sensitivity, and cultural appropriation.
As you browse through the Mindanao-inspired designs, we hope it gives you a glimpse of the island life and brings you closer to the vibrant culture of Davao and Mindanao.
Ayo-ayo.
DFDCFI, is the region’s most active and engaged creative industry professional organization. It underwent phases of transition, since a little less than 2 decades ago, before it it was registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission as a foundation in 2016 and as a CSO grantee of the City of Davao in 2019.
Habi Kadayawan Fashion Accessories and Luxe Apparel Design Competitions are inclusive contemporary fashion and design platforms to provide avenue for global-local design and talents inspired by the artisanal culture, heritage and identity of the 11 Kadayawan Ethno-linguistic Groups of Davao.
Believing in the power and impact of fashion has to the protection, promotion and preservation of our culture and heritage, Davao Fashion and Design Council Foundation, Inc. partnered with Ayala Malls Abreeza and staged Stellar Mindanao Heritage Fashion Designers Competition in 2016.
The entrepreneurial spirit of Mindanaoan lives on, from the early pre-Spanish era of maritime trade and commerce in the seas of Sulu, to the contemporary agile and innovative micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the island.
In Davao region, we take pride of our resilient and highly impassioned entrepreneurs who have successfully interlaced Mindanao’s culture in business and commerce.
Tinda, or “to sell,” features four of the most inspiring business organizations in Davao: Davao Fashion and Design Council Foundation, Inc. (DFDCI), Stellar, Habi Kadayawan, and Mindanao Trade Expo Foundation, Inc. (MTEFI). They represent the beauty, creativity, and richness of Mindanao culture.
Like the Philippine eagle, Davao entrepreneurs are brave. Dabawenyos are strong and resilient amidst the challenges that life throws at them. No matter how big or small these challenges are, Dabawenyos always get back on their feet. They brush off their knees, shrug their shoulders, and continue. “Padayon,” they would always say.
This resilience is translated into the products that we create.
Beautiful, genuine, and resilient. This is the Dabawenyo brand.
Our products are not mass-produced in factories for pure profit. Each design is unique and carefully crafted to tell the story of each designer, partner, and entrepreneur. From indigenous to modern to futuristic styles, our products bring to life the exquisiteness of our 11 tribes with respect, cultural sensitivity, and cultural appropriation.
As you browse through the Mindanao-inspired designs, we hope it gives you a glimpse of the island life and brings you closer to the vibrant culture of Davao and Mindanao.
Ayo-ayo.
The Davao Fashion and Design Council Foundation, Inc. or DFDCFI, is an organization that features the most creative designers in Region XI. Its main goal is to professionalize the practice of fashion and design. The organization currently maintains a curated designer membership made of Davao City’s most honed artists. These artists have proven their skill through their established ethical and professional business enterprises, identifiable commercial presence, consistent market performance, and patronage. DFDC’s designers have garnered awards both nationally and internationally. Their skills, coupled with the passion and advocacy for design education, sets them apart from artists all over the country.
As a fashion design council, DFDCFI includes three key areas of engagement: Professional Design and Academic Program Development, Heritage-based Product Research and Development, and Creative Community and Industry Collaborations.
The Professional Design and Academic Program Development is a curriculum and professional development partner of PWC of Davao BFA Fashion. It comes with conduit design programs and its center for Innovations and Social Ventures.
The Heritage based Product Research and Development, on the other hand, is a creative industry partner of various local and national trade, tourism, culture, and Heritage agencies.
Lastly, The Creative Community and Industry Collaborations is a co-designer and facilitator of various community-based and indigenous arts, crafts, and enterprises in partnership with traditional ethnolinguistic groups and emerging crafting communities.
The Davao Fashion and Design Council takes pride in being the face of Davao fashion. It has represented Davao City in the Miss Universe beauty pageant, Panasonic Manila Fashion Festival, Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines (BIMP-EAGA) Budayaw Fashion, Malaysia Fashion Week, Manila FAME, Philippine Business Conference, and more.
As an organization that believes in a government-industry-academe partnership, DFDCFI holds various events such as STELLAR, a bi-annual young designers’ competition that combines design ideation and business incubation as a sustainable way to encourage and support aspiring designers. Last September 2020, the design council started a series of e-Learning Projects for Davao Creative Communities. They also supported the Philippine Fashion Coalition initiative, which aims to continue the valuable research and data gathering needed to assist the entire Philippine fashion industry during the global crisis.
Habi Kadayawan is a joint project of the City Government of Davao Kadayawan Festival Executive Committee and the Davao Fashion and Design Council Foundation Inc. It focuses on the fashion accessories niche and proudly displays inclusive contemporary fashion and design. Habi Kadayawan is an avenue for global-local design and talents inspired by the 11 Kadayawan Ethnolinguistic Groups of Davao’s heritage and culture.
These 11 tribes are: Iranun, Ata, Kagan, Bagobo Klata, Maguindanaon, Bagobo Tagabawa, Maranao, Matigsalug, Sama, Obu Manuvu, and Taosug.
While Habi Kadayawan showcases the beauty of the tribes’ designs, it also pays homage to the soulful journey of the tribal groups around Mindanao and across the island’s geographical divide. This homage weaves stories from a familiar land away from home, which nurtured a collective identity that is now called Davao.
To widen its reach, Habi Kadayawan went Mindanao-wide through its Fashion Accessories and Luxe Apparel Design Competition. The renowned event is curated by PWC of Davao Mindanao Folk Arts Museum Artisanal Heritage Studies and Creative Enterprise Center. The curating group is a CHED-IDIF grantee and recipient of the British Council Creative Innovators Program and Fellowship.
Habi Kadayawan’s design competition has inspired countless artists to show off their Mindanao-inspired creations in its pursuit to bring Davao designers together. Among the said designers is Kathryn Fanlo, an aspiring accessory designer and entrepreneur whose love for crafts fueled her passion for creating wearable art pieces using polymer clay. One of Fanlo’s award-winning creations was her necklace “Pahidungog” inspired by Davao’s 11 tribes. The piece won the Hobbyist and Artisan Kadayawan category and was proudly shown during the fashion show and awarding ceremony last August 2018.
Since her victory in the 2018 Habi Kadayawan design competition, Fanlo has continued making Mindanao tribe-inspired designs. Her designs were featured in various events such as the PWC Culmination Reception National Indigenous People’s Month Fashion Show, Mindanao—A Conversation Trunk Show and Exhibit, Ms. Earth Queens Fashion Show, and more. Prominent people such as Ms. Universe Philippines 2019 Gazini Ganados and Republic of Singapore President Her Excellency Madam Halimah Yacob have also worn her art pieces.
Stellar Mindanao Heritage Fashion Designers Competition is a sustainable fashion design and creative enterprise competition platform for creative Mindanaon designers. It was founded by the Davao Fashion and Design Council Foundation, Inc. in partnership with Ayala Malls Abreeza to encourage designers to rediscover the island’s cultural diversity. The foundation has since then continued promoting the protection and preservation of culture and heritage through fashion.
Besides promoting cultural identity, Stellar also gives voice to traditional and emerging communities by collaborating with them in innovating products and start-up enterprises. The collaboration allows for diverse participation and teaches designers and entrepreneurs to be culturally sensitive and conscious of fair trade.
Stellar Mindanao Heritage Fashion Designers Competition encourages both creativity and responsibility from designers. The competition’s first theme, “I AMindanao,” focused on the traditions and culture of the different tribes in Mindanao. While designers have creative freedom, they must also be mindful of cultural appropriation. This meant the artists had to ensure sustainable relationships with their indigenous partners and that the fabrics and archetypal designs used are treated with respect. They are also expected to pay artisans a fair price for their work.
For up-and-coming designers, Stellar is one of the gateways into the world of fashion. In its design competition last May 2019, participating designers were given a chance to win the grand prize of 100,000 in start-up capital, a two-year mentoring, training, and business incubation program with the Department of Trade & Industry. The winner also received a specially crafted trophy by globally recognized Davaoeño artist Kublai Millan. The 2019 participants were tasked to apply their interpretation of Mindanao in their designs and successfully incorporated the island’s culture in a 5-piece capsule collection.
Although the pandemic has canceled physical events, Stellar’s founders still hope to improve the quality and competitiveness of Filipino brand products in the global market through the ingenuity of our cultural diversity.
The Mindanao Trade Expo Foundation, Inc. is a trade and retail exhibition that helps develop, strengthen, and promote promising micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The foundation features various products such as bags, clothing, jewelry, home furnishings, food, and more.
MTEFI partners with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. (PhilExport), and Ayala Malls to make the exhibitions a success and bring together creative entrepreneurs all over the country. The show not only inspires creativity but also empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners.
“By having a regular business with an entrepreneur, the community becomes more empowered as they enjoy regular income,” MTEFI President Dr. Rosevic del Rosario-Cembrano said in an interview with Sunstar.
According to Cembrano, the foundation is committed to providing a venue to promote local products and at the same time empower communities. For more than two decades, MTEFI has supported thousands of MSMEs and has generated over a billion pesos in sales.
With the foundation’s help, locales can now take advantage of material manipulation and designs as a source livelihood. An example of this is when a design-entrepreneur holds a product development workshop in a community with available raw materials. Using the knowledge acquired from the workshop, locales can continue creating and selling their products with the design-entrepreneur. That way, the locales do not have to leave their community. They can also take ownership of their design while earning a stable income.
MTEFI holds yearly exhibitions in Mindanao. Last August 2019, the exhibition was held at Abreeza Mall, Davao City. Over 120 local entrepreneurs and artisans impressed shoppers and institutional buyers with their craftmanship. Their products ranged from food to fashion accessories to home furnishings and more. For those looking to promote their local products in Mindanao, MTEFI exhibitions are the way to go.
Believing in the power and impact of fashion has to the protection, promotion and preservation of our culture and heritage, Davao Fashion and Design Council Foundation, Inc. partnered with Ayala Malls Abreeza and staged Stellar Mindanao Heritage Fashion Designers Competition in 2016.
Habi Kadayawan Fashion Accessories and Luxe Apparel Design Competitions are inclusive contemporary fashion and design platforms to provide avenue for global-local design and talents inspired by the artisanal culture, heritage and identity of the 11 Kadayawan Ethno-linguistic Groups of Davao.
DFDCFI, is the region’s most active and engaged creative industry professional organization. It underwent phases of transition, since a little less than 2 decades ago, before it it was registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission as a foundation in 2016 and as a CSO grantee of the City of Davao in 2019.
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Tambayayong Dabawenyo Virtual Festival
PWC Kabilin Center
Mindanao Folk Arts Museum and Studies Center
Artisan Heritage Studied and Creative Enterprise Center
Philippine Women’s College of Davao
University Ave., Juna Subd., Matina,
Davao City, 8000
Davao del Sur, Philippines
Phone: (082) 297 – 8035 local 171
Email: yayong.dvo@gmail.com | kabilinmuseum@pwc.edu.ph
