Kandama now fashions a future in the blockchain and NFT space with its partnership with blockchain firm Tetrix. In keeping with its mission of providing economic opportunities to indigenous women and preserving the tradition of handloom weaving, this partnership will guarantee the authenticity of Kandama's innovative designs.
Tetrix 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. 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.
“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.
Powered by Tetrix, crypto wallet Pitaka 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.
“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.
Kandama is a social enterprise that brought the creations of master Filipino weavers of Julongan village in Kiangan, Ifugao to the world’s premiere fashion stages. Its innovative designs and collections have been showcased at the Likhang Pamana in Hong Kong, Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival, Paris Indigenous Fashion Week, and New York Fashion Week.