MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Women empowerment platform and brand She Talks Asia just unveiled a collaboration with ANTHILL Fabric Gallery, a social enterprise working on preserving local weaves through circular & contemporary design.
Entitled KINAIYA, the capsule collection consists of six thoughtfully designed and sustainably made versatile pieces that will support the livelihood of ANTHILL’s partner weavers & artisans and help fund She Talks Asia’s mental health workshops for disadvantaged women.
Kinaiya is a Visayan word that means ‘inner being.’ The collection features different variations of the Binakol weave. She Talks chose the weave because of its intricate patterns, and the meaning behind them. Historically, tribes from the North wore them to ward off evil spirits, believing that the dizzying patterns will confuse them. “We see these pieces not just as an expression of our pride and love for our culture, but as an armor that reflects our character, and strengthens our confidence to take on the challenges every day,” She Talks Asia CEO Lynn Pinugu said. Each piece features She Talks Asia’s signature interwoven lips embroidered into the cloth.
Founded in 2017, She Talks Asia seeks to amplify messages of empowerment, diversity, and inclusion, by creating events, products, and experiences that focus on authentic connection, genuine dialogue, and equal representation. Through the KINAIYA workshop series, She Talks aims to help break the stigma of mental health, especially among women from low-income communities.
The Binakol fabrics in these limited edition pieces are heart-woven by the Mang Abel ti Abra, ANTHILL’s very first partner community enterprise. Led by head weaver Natividad Quiday, the community of weavers and farmers founded back in 2009 had only six weavers to start. They banded together to pursue this ancestral gift of weaving to contribute to household income. Mang Abel was the first to benefit from ANTHILL’s Community Enterprise Development Program, which built their capacity to be independent entrepreneurs. The application of their weaves in contemporary and circular design grew their business and community grew their members to 50 weavers.
Since graduating from ANTHILL’s program in 2020, the mother artisans have used their savings to send their children to private schools, build their homes and invest in other entrepreneurial ventures. Sadly when the pandemic hit, they had to leave their looms and find other income opportunities. Sourcing Binakol from them for the KINAIYA collection will help enable the community to go back to weaving and continue to pass down this living tradition to the younger generations.
Ate Vema and Ate Belen are two hard-working mothers who are the independent makers of the Chaketa and Alitaptap blouses featured in the Kinaiya Collection. Both artisans have worked in ANTHILL for over three years. Now working on her own business, Ate Vema hopes to save from this project so she can loan a new sewing machine to replace her old one and take more jobs. Ate Belen found a new job in a new workshop but needs the extra income to save up for the graduation requirements of her son who is about to pursue his dreams of becoming a nurse.
“Change cannot be achieved by working alone. We are grateful for partnerships and collaborations where we are able to grow our work by weaving dreams together. Collaborating with She Talks Asia for these story pieces expands our community among the She Talks tribe and gives more reason for everyone to wear their pride,” ANTHILL Founder Anya Lim said.
The #SheTalksAsiaxANTHILL KINAIYA capsule collection is available at the ANTHILL website.
