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At the Tela Tales launch in Davao, from left: SMHCC VP for Quality and Sustainability Leah Magallanes, Park Inn by Radisson Davao GM Sven Toune, REPAMANA Co-founder and designer Dars Juson, Hon. Councilor Tek Ocampo, and Park Inn by Radisson Davao Director of HR Natasha Mendoza. |
A fashionably meaningful and purposeful sustainability project, Tela Tales transforms condemned hotel linens into meaningful fashion, functional pieces, creating a circular economy that bridges hospitality and local communities. Given that hotel linens are one of the top wastes produced by hotels and resorts, this pioneer initiative by SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation (SMHCC), aims to create products that are highly marketable that resonate with target audiences.
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Designer Dars Juson (center) and his models showing off on his creations for SMHCC and Park Inn by Radisson Davao’s joint sustainability project, Tela Tales |
Following the thread of its Luzon and Visayas legs, the SM hotel group’s initiative continues to weave sustainability in its properties one region at a time. Coinciding with the Kadayawan Festival, Tela Tales was officially launched in Davao City, in partnership with its hotel property, Park Inn by Radisson Davao.
Commemorating the occasion were SMHCC Vice President for Quality and Sustainability Ms. Leah Magallanes, Davao City Councilors Hon. Tek Ocampo and Hon. Myrna Ortiz; Department of Trade and Industry Regional Director Romeo L. Castañaga; and Department of Tourism Region XI Assistant Regional Director Judy Colaljo.
Tela Tales, along with other sustainable initiatives, is part of its goal to reach Net Zero by 2040. It has already made waves in other SMHCC properties such as Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo, Bacolod, and North Edsa; Pico Sands Hotel; Taal Vista Hotel; and SMX Manila. For its Davao leg, SMHCC and the hotel partnered with Davao-born designer Dars Juson, who studied in the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. He is making his name in the capital City of the Philippines as the co-founder of Manila-based label REPAMANA. Known for transforming discarded textiles into striking fashion, Dars’ philosophy perfectly aligns with the Tela Tales mission.
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Dars teaches the women from Think Outside the Trash the techniques and process to create the bucket hats, vanity kit and tote bags during the workshop at the host hotel. |
The beneficiary of this effort is Think Outside the Trash, a women-led community group supported by Councilor Tek Ocampo. Under Dars' mentorship, the women underwent training to create the debut Tela Tales collection—each piece a symbol of empowerment, sustainability, and craftsmanship.
For the first collection, Dars designed a vanity kit, tote bag, and bucket hats, which will be available for purchase at the hotel lobby. The items feature both plain and dyed designs, using the traditional Japanese shibori technique. This method involves binding, folding, twisting, and clamping fabric before dyeing—a process that Dars also taught to the women of Think Outside the Trash.
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