Graduates of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) dressmaking program and local designers are joining forces to promote artisan products from Ilocos Norte through trade fairs and online marketplaces.

Backed by the provincial government of Ilocos Norte through its Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Office (MSMEO), the collaboration aims to showcase local craftsmanship, expand market opportunities for homegrown products and create livelihood opportunities for skilled dressmakers and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Elma Gabriel, head of the MSMEO told the Philippine News Agency on Monday.

“Through the initiative of our governor, we will be partnering with Likhang Pilipino, showcasing our local products and artisans,” Gabriel said.

Likhang Pilipino is known as the country’s premier year-round showroom, marketplace, and incubation hub for world-class, Philippine-made products at the International Trade Center Complex.

Currently, it is managed and operated by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry.

By combining technical skills with creative design, Gabriel said the initiative seeks to develop products that highlight the province’s artistry while responding to evolving consumer preferences.

The featured local brands include: Arwat, La Tienda, MAKA Collective, LEDS Clothing and Ira Baylon.

The partnership also provides TESDA graduates with opportunities to apply their dressmaking skills in actual production and establish connections with local entrepreneurs.

The initiative underscores the importance of linking technical-vocational education with entrepreneurship and market development to help graduates turn their skills into sustainable livelihoods.

Through the partnership, TESDA graduates and local designers are transforming creativity and craftsmanship into economic opportunities while bringing Ilocos Norte’s artisan products to a wider market.

Last September, Ilocos Norte Gov. Cecilia Araneta-Marcos, who is also an advocate of Inabel fashion designs, met with TESDA dressmaking graduates to explore livelihood opportunities and help turn their newly acquired skills into income-generating work.

It was agreed that the group will develop ready-to-wear pieces using Ilocos Norte’s traditional inabel textile, with the collection set to be showcased at an upcoming event this November.

“Through this, we hope to help promote local dressmakers’ skills ad the heritage of Abel weaving to a wider market,” Araneta-Marcos said in an interview. (PNA)