With a mission to showcase Philippine textiles and highlight Filipino-made attire on the national and international pageant stage, six (6) Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) candidates, along with the Miss Universe Philippines Digital and Creatives Team and the Philippine Fashion Coalition (PFC), visited the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) on May 3, 2024. 

The MUPH candidates who chose #LoveForTheCreativeIndustry as their interest are the following:

1. Bianca Gaviola - MUPH Bohol
2. Deanna Marie Maté - MUPH Cavite
3. Rikki Abuel Dela Peña - MUPH Lucban
4. Mary Josephine Paaske - MUPH Talisay City
5. Kymberlee Street - MUPH Filipino Community of Australia
6. Raven Docto - MUPH Palawan

The visit of the candidates was made possible with the assistance of Jackie Aquino, Event Producer and Director, and Carissa Evangelista, Designer and Entrepreneur, both from PFC, aiming to educate the candidates on how their outfits are made, especially for pageants, from raw fibers, yarns, fabrics to wearable pieces, and how technologies are incorporated into them. 

TIn line with this, Dr. Julius L. Leaño, Jr., Director IV of DOST-PTRI, discussed with the candidates the displayed handwoven fabrics from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, as well as the fiber transformation and textile products from cotton, pineapple, abaca, and bamboo. 

Moreover, DOST-PTRI staff brought the MUPh candidates to the DOST-PTRI Innovation Center for Yarns & Textiles (ICYT). The ICYT houses the yarn-spinning facility for the production of natural textile fiber-based yarns, as well as the weaving facility where various handloom weaving machines are utilized for training and processing services. 

Furthermore, this tour is an integral part of the Institute's Textile Academy, which serves as a platform for knowledge exchange and seeks to consolidate efforts in education, skills development, and capability building.