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By Sarah Baviera Contributor
MARC DE BORJA admits that he has
long been fascinated with hats. “I find hats really interesting,
from the ones owned by the Queen of England to the colorful hats
that protect the beachcombers while on vacation,” he muses.
De Borja knew that his
fascination would eventually turn into a business. “I have always
believed in creative visualization,” he volunteers, adding, “I
would close my eyes and think of teaching people the techniques in
making straw hats. I would see my company mass-producing colorful
hats and exporting them to the West. I would envision a lot of men
and women from the provinces who would attend my workshops so they
can have a livelihood program.”
His mind affirmations must be
working for de Borja who is now the CEO of Far East Straw Hats Corp.
“We have finished the initial batch of designs and material
sourcing and we are already starting production for our first phase
of exports,” he shares.
While waiting for the final
threads of this big undertaking, de Borja has distributed his straw
hats for initial offer at certain malls and boutique shops that
carry fashion accessories. These straw hats are very stylish and can
be worn by both men and women.
“Our material is made from the
most carefully selected buntal fibers and hand-woven from the crown
to the brim. The traditional way of weaving has been adapted by de
Borja and he added a touch of European design in the form of Fedora
and Trilby. A Fedora comes with an elongated crown crease from the
front to the back. The Trilby has a pear shape crown crease. The
sweatband is made with satin material and the headband comes with
solid colors and tropical floral motif.
As a young entrepreneur, de Borja
is using the Internet as his initial marketing ground. Interested
buyers can e-mail his company at feshc07@yahoo.com for inquiries.
These straw hats can also be previewed by logging on to
www.fareaststrawhat.com.
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