Habi weaves purpose and passion

MANILA, Philippines — The Likhang Habi Market Fair returns this year with an important mission: save the local cotton industry and promote linkages with fellow ASEAN weavers.

 For its eighth season, HABI, the Philippine Textile Council, gathers 80 local masters on traditional textiles and crafts to showcase the beauty of local pieces but this time, with an international flair.

ASEAN Pride

 For the first time, the Likhang HABI Market Fair, happening from Oct. 12 to 14 at the Glorietta Activity Center, will also feature the works of master weavers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam. 

Ruby Diaz Roa wearing her own creation, Ballerina

  “The event is meant to spark further creativity among the weavers and open doors for many possibilities,” HABI president Adelaida Lim pointed out.

Aluna by Diana Ortiz

 Among the ASEAN exhibitors, Malaysian architect and designer Edric Ong is most awaited by the fair’s local organizers. “There is a growing interest in slow fashion among the millennials who are now seeing the beauty of the handcrafted and unique rather than the factory mass-produced items,” Ong said as he reflected on the demand for naturally dyed textiles in his home country and even abroad.

Manila Collectible by Charisse Tugado

 Ong is the resident of Society Atelier Sarawak, the arts and crafts society in East Malaysia. He is also the immediate past president of the ASEAN handicrafts promotion development association and concurrently a consultant for the UNESCO World Crafts Council and the UNESCO heritage, architecture conservation and crafts. 

Ditta Sandico

 He considers respect for the environment as the main idea behind his eponymous label, EO, that features silk, ikat (textiles that undergo a dyeing technique in which threads are dyed before they are woven), woodblock, hand-printed scarves, ethnic-designed wraps, and the Iban “Pua Kumbu” textiles that have become popular among international buyers after they were featured in many international exhibits and galleries. 

Interweave by Creative Definitions

 In the market fair, Ong will be showcasing hand-painted up-cycled leather jackets with a “Dayak Tree of Life” motif, hand-knitted hemp vests, handwoven silk scarves and hand-painted leather hats.                                                                                                                                  

Labor of love and tradition

Lila Lifestyle

Aside from the creative pieces from the ASEAN exhibitors, visitors can also expect one-of-a-kind collections from local participants such as the hand-painted rattan bags, Mangyan Pakudos bayong with Italian leather straps, emerald necklaces, and Ballerina shoes of HABI founding member Ruby Diaz Roa; woven crafts and textile pieces from Mike Claparols; arthropod-shaped accessories and sculpted pieces from Helena Alegre; woven fashion and crafts from the brand Yakang-Yaka Barter from Kelly Mortensen; exquisite Banaca wraps and accessories from Ditta Sandico; and Kalinga woven traditions from Irene Bawer-Bimuyag’s team of weavers.

Reviving the Philippine Cotton Industry

Adante by Adante Leyesa

The funds earned from “Woven Voyages: 8th Likhang Habi Textile Fair 2018” will go into the purchase of a spinning machine from India. “This spinning machine will produce high-quality cotton threads which, in turn, will produce fine quality textiles,” Roa said.

Irene Bimuyag

 In the early years of HABI, Roa recounted, members would actually go to mountains and remote provinces to search for surviving weavers. She said the weavers were usually discouraged by the expensive cotton threads. This led to the production of more polyester products as polyester was readily available and cheap.

Helena Alegre

 But the HABI advocacy has been gaining ground in the past years. “We try to weave with more cotton now. We get our cotton supply from HABI suppliers,” Bimuyag added. 

 This year’s three-day Likhang HABI market fair will also feature workshops on sustainability and cultural modern and traditional performances, embroidery, natural dye workshops, weaving techniques from different regions; the Lourdes R. Montinola Weaving Prize winners of piña weaving competition; a fashion show highlighting modern ready-to-wear pieces of the Woven Voyages story of exhibitors, such as Len Cabili of Filip+Inna, LARA Samar, Jor-el Espina, Boy Guino-o of Alfonso Davao, Twinkle Ferraren, and the special participation of Patis Tesoro.  ASEAN exhibitors taking part in the fashion presentation are Edric Ong of Malaysia and Laura Fontan, owner of famous Vietnamese fashion brand Chula Fashion. Other attractions include an exhibit by renowned French-Filipino artist Olivia d’Aboville; a Philippine cotton advocacy corner; and an ASEAN corner where the participating weavers will be huddled together to showcase their wares.

Habi textile corner

Woven crafts as lasting legacy

“The weaving patterns in the local tradition are not just expressions of the weaver but are actually blueprints that depict the background of its creator,” exhibitor and HABI coordinator Kelly Marian Mortensen explained.

Yakangyaka by Kelly Mortensen

“In the traditional Philippine weaving, patterns are not just patterns. They tell a story. These lines tell the biography of the weave — from which indigenous group it came from and the purpose of the weave,” she said.

 HABI aims to preserve the tradition of traditional textiles and crafts and turn them into something relevant and useful instead of being treated as mere costumes or display.

“Handwoven fabrics

Ifugao Heritage School

are valued because of the culture and living traditions that go with preserving their own cultures,” HABI member Ditta Sandico said. “Just like a seed, it takes a while before you can harvest the plant. Believing in this type of advocacy is a work in progress and will take a lot of patience and hard work in order for you to harvest the fruits of your labor.”

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Save the date and help preserve Philippine textile and culture. The 8th Likhang HABI Textile Fair is free and open to the general public. It runs Oct. 12-14 at the Glorietta Activity Center, Makati City.   

For more information, call the HABI Philippine Textile Council at +63 927 852.6955 or send an e-mail to: likhanghabi@gmail.com. You may also follow @HabiThePhilTextileCouncil on Facebook and @habifair on Instagram or visit their website: habitextilecouncil.ph

“Woven Voyages: 8th Likhang HABI Textile Fair 2018” is sponsored by the Ayala Group and Philippine Airlines.