The homegrown fashion collective is partnering with blockchain firm Tetrix to guarantee authenticity and showcase the deep culture behind its every creation.
Media Release
Short link: https://wp.me/paaccn-nBd
MANILA — As a social enterprise that brought the creations of master Filipino weavers to the world’s premiere fashion stages, Kandama now fashions a future in the blockchain and NFT space with its partnership with Tetrix.
The renowned fashion collective, which were showcased at the “Likhang Pamana” (Inherited Creation) in Hong Kong, Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival, Paris Indigenous Fashion Week, and New York Fashion Week, will harness blockchain technology to guarantee the authenticity of their innovative designs that incorporate hand-loomed fabrics made by the master weavers of Julongan village in Kiangan, Ifugao.
“As a cultural and social enterprise that produces artisanal fashion products, it is important for us to be authentic, to tell the stories of how our garments are made, and to demonstrate our sustainable and ethical credentials,” Kandama Founder and CEO Victor Mari C. Baguilat, Jr. said.
Through the partnership, Tetrix, a blockchain firm, will produce non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to offer Kandama customers proof of ownership over hand-woven bags, clothes, and modern accessories, such as the pieces once donned by beauty queen Pia Wurtzbach.
Recorded forever on the blockchain, the NFT verifies the authenticity of their purchased garments and provides other key details, including the background of the weavers, the fabric used, and ownership history.
Additionally, the crypto wallet Pitaka, which is powered by Tetrix, will be used for the settlement of transactions and will be the official carrier of the Kandama NFTs. Ownership of the digital Kandama garment will be transferred through the blockchain, making the design impossible to counterfeit.
“Enterprises like ours should leverage blockchain technology because it creates a unique digital identity for every product we make since its lifetime journey can be traced on the immutable blockchain from raw material to design and sale and then resale and recycling,” Baguilat added.
Photograph on the right is a mother weaving a native cloth with her child on her back. (Credit: KandamaWeave.com)
Mainstream luxury brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada have recently dived deep into Web3 and blockchain to offer new opportunities to connect with customers, foster community, and generate revenue.
“I choose Tetrix to be our blockchain partner because their leadership has a powerful vision of helping us bring our advocacy of promoting indigenous arts and culture to greater heights. Tetrix empathizes with our needs as a cultural and social enterprise, and they have demonstrated their capacity and desire to co-create with us a brighter future for our indigenous communities,” Baguilat said, commenting on their partnership with Tetrix.
“We are seeing that fashion could also benefit from Web3. Same with artworks, we can also bring Kandama’s beautiful fashion pieces into Metaverse,” Tetrix CEO and founder Emman Navalan shared. (/)
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About Tetrix
Tetrix is a project that began in 2020 as an effort to change the way blockchains are designed and developed for the digital space where communities, enterprises, governments, and individuals interact and coexist in the same ecosystem without having to worry about different blockchains. It is a collection of projects that build the products, tools, and infrastructure for resilient, sustainable, and inclusive communities — designing and building for security, equality, and the sovereignty of individuals. (/)
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About Viridian Technologies
Viridian Technologies are the creators of the Tetrix Network, Link, Pitaka, and Lobi. It is an IT solutions company offering top-of-the-line products and services primarily on Web3, aiming to provide an inclusive ecosystem that caters to the daily demands of its users. We aim to bridge existing blockchains seamlessly together and create a unified community that allows for a more convenient environment for integration.
Website: https://www.viridiantech.io/
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About Kandama
Kandama is a social enterprise that was incubated under the Young Social Entrepreneurs Program of the Singapore International Foundation in 2016. Its mission includes providing economic opportunities to indigenous women, preserving the tradition of handloom weaving, and helping the community protect the environment that sustains the rice terraces, specifically in Julongan village in Kiangan, Ifugao.
Kandama applies commercial strategies to make its social impact sustainable. As such, it co-creates with the weavers in making artisanal garments that appeal to the global market. Kandama connects the weavers to the global market by participating in trade shows and showcasing its products in fashion shows in New York, Paris, Melbourne, and Hong Kong, among many others.
Website: https://kandamaweave.com/