IT’S EASY to take bedding for granted, but you have to love what’s next to your skin at least six hours a day. And this is not limited to the sheets on your bed.
New Creation Manufacturing, a producer of baby, children’s and ladies’ garments, and Canadian Manufacturing, a home linen brand in the Philippines, celebrated their 65th anniversary at their 16th annual trade show, Saluté, on Aug. 14 and 15 at the Sheraton Manila, Pasay City.
The event showcased the companies’ flagship brands — Lifestyle by Canadian under Canadian Manufacturing, and Hello Dolly under New Creation Manufacturing. The companies started in 1959, after founder Hiro Asandas Daryanani noticed a gap in the market, seeing no bedsheets in department stores in the country.
“When I first came here, nobody knew from where to buy a bedsheet,” he said in a speech, making an example of how older Filipinos then got their beddings. “They would go to Divisoria in a calesa (a horse-drawn carriage); buy bed sheeting by the kilo.” The cloth would be taken to a seamstress, and, “After two months, you find a big hole. Why? There were many perforations.”
“Over the years, our company grew, and the market grew as well,” Anil Daryanani, the founder’s grandson and President of New Creation, told BusinessWorld. From bedsheets, they expanded to baby and children’s garments in the 1970s and ’80s. He said in jest why that direction made sense: “After they sleep on the bedsheets, about nine months later, then the baby is born. That’s how our baby products were born as well.”
BEYOND BEDSHEETSOne thinks that bedsheets are simply things to put over your mattress, but then, in being next to our skin when we’re most vulnerable (in sleep), the product becomes more intimate, and that close relationship demands innovation.
Canadian Manufacturing, during the trade show, introduced a range of sustainable home linen products under the Lifestyle by Canadian brand. These include bed accessories such as waterproof mattress and pillow protectors, designed to enhance sleep environments, extend mattress life, and provide protection against allergens and stains.
“If it was just cotton in the past, you would [now] have bamboo, organic, Tencel,” said Mr. Daryanani.
New Creation expanded its Sanggol brand, predominantly known for infants’ wear, with a new line of disposable diapers featuring a super absorbent polymer for moisture absorption, a Velcro S-type closure for a secure fit, a waterproof top sheet, a breathable film to reduce skin irritation, a leak guard, and a wetness indicator.
Additionally, the Hello Dolly collection introduced an antibacterial and antimicrobial line of baby and toddler apparel. Treated with Sanitized, a Switzerland-approved finish, these garments are said to offer protection against harmful pathogens and bacteria for up to 20 washes, with fabric specially brushed for extra softness on delicate baby skin.
SUSTAINABILITYDuring the event, they also discussed their plans of building a new facility in Bicutan (their third), which would serve as a manufacturing facility and warehouse.
Mr. Daryanani also discussed their sustainability measures with us, such as their bamboo fabric line using 15% less water in its production than regular cotton, converting their manufacturing facilities to green energy, and reducing the use of plastic in their packaging, opting for cardboard, wood, and bamboo instead.
Canadian Manufacturing also produces a lot of the linens for hotels and hospitals around the country, and their products have gone on to other Asian countries, as well as Australia and some countries in Europe. All of the products are made in the Philippines, and Mr. Daryanani used the opportunity to praise Filipino craftsmanship.
“We have some of the best and highly skilled workers here in the Philippines today. Although our price points may be a lot higher in today’s day and age than it was back in the day, we do encounter competition from other countries — obviously China’s there, Cambodia’s there… but the skill of the Filipino workers, we believe, is unmatched here.” — Joseph L. Garcia
