I was privileged to spend the day yesterday visiting two workshops in a town not far from mine and seeing local workers making bags out of native materials, the names of which are probably as unfamiliar to most western people as they were to me. Materials such as abaca, sabutan, ticog and jute among others were being used to make a wide assortment of beautiful and very decorative carry bags, handbags, hats, wallets, purses, slippers and many other items.
Cotton macrame bags (see picture above on the right), which are entirely made with natural cotton and without any added dies or colours featured among the range of items being made principally for the local market. My aim is to encourage exports and find suitable channels for some of these goods. The workshops were not fully occupied but the producers were ready to step over backwards to be of assistance. Even custom made product is possible for just a few hundred pieces, from selected materials, colour dies, stitching patterns - almost everything is negotiable without any significant price additions. The principle here is to keep the workers occupied and to keep the customers satisfied.
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