In 1995, the
Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI)
collaborated with the Katutubong Filipino Foundation to
do research on the extraction and application of natural
dyes, on apparels, yarns, and home textiles.
The Institute went
on to formulate recipes for the use of natural dye crude
extract as well as develop the technology of making
these crude extracts into powdered form. The technology
of producing natural dye powders had been transferred in
Abra while a common service facility (CSF) has been put
up in Aklan. The CSF is envisioned to address the needs
of the Aklan weavers in producing dyed piña,
piña-seda,
and abaca fabrics.
These materials
have become the fashionable fabrics commonly used by the
Philippine fashion gurus in creating attires for formal
occasions. Though Europe has dictated women's fashion in
the country, the men's Barong Tagalog has remained
constant. However, the barong has now evolved from being
an alternative formal wear to a radical fashion
statement in a world where flamboyance and exaggerations
seem to overpower the sense of style, elegance, and
simplicity of authentic Filipino fashion.
Now, the barong
will even be brought to greater heights through the
application of the PTRI natural dye technology. Said
technology gives a new and radical transformation to the
ecru barongs. The subdued shades and elegant appeal of
natural colors make possible for the barong to reflect
the variety of moods and emotions that have become
apparent in cosmopolitan and fashionable Filipino men.
Going for the
gusto, Marianna Fashion Apparel (MFA), makers of barong
under the brand MIGUEL will release its newest barong
collection dubbed kaLIKHAsan, coined from
Filipino word's kalikasan and likha
(nature and creation). This collection is composed of
100 percent naturally dyed barong materials, the first
ever to be authenticated by PTRI with a tag bearing the
Institute's official seal.
This collection
will showcase the use of natural dyes from Philippine
indigo (Indigofera tinctoria), mahogany (Switennia
macrophylla King) barks, yellow ginger (Curcuma
longga) rhizomes, sampaloc (Tamarindus indica)
barks, young coconut (Cocos nucifera) husks, and
talisay (Terminalia catappa) leaves. The
variation of color and shade and the mode of application
are products of the in-depth research and development
efforts of PTRI in coming up with commercially viable
production technologies to support the revolutionary and
pivotal twist that the barong tagalog is undergoing.
