Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 January 2026
Throughout the Philippines, as in many global south countries, artisans and social entrepreneurs are working together to organize collective associations through which to gain the equipment, skills, and marketing assistance that can enhance their enterprises. Such collaborative initiatives are evident in the number of viable weaving organizations that practitioners, primarily women, have organized at the household level and in small workshop settings. Drawing on case studies in Ifugao province and in Manila, this chapter focuses on two small-scale, social welfare-mandated enterprises that have operationalized alternative channels for textile production and marketing, namely ‘Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement’ (SITMo) in Ifugao, and ’Rags2Riches’ (R2R) in Manila. Adhering to a model of business transparency, both social enterprises promote income generation for makers, but also social welfare projects that invest in community well-being (e.g. health insurance, education), foster long-term producer–buyer relations, and ensure that artisans’ designs can compete in global markets while simultaneously maintaining local knowledge and technology. The chapter thus explores the channels through which artisans and social entrepreneurs can realize the potential of artisans’ production given shifts in raw material and digital technology availability, labor conditions, market demand, and how contemporary textiles can continue to represent local cultural identity. The chapter also questions the extent to which these social enterprises can expand and still maintain their social welfare mandate given minimal government support. I suggest moreover that Philippine women artisans’ and social entrepreneurs’ advocacy and initiatives enable them to achieve more livelihood autonomy in today’s locally grounded yet globally connected world.
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