Weaving the Philippines Local textures and fabrics

From fibers and threads to colors and prints, weaving

speaks so much about the Philippines cultural
narrative. Besides preserving history, the countrys
weaves are also promising products that bring attention
to indigenous communities via the international design
and lifestyle stage.
According to the Garments and Textile Industry
Development Office (GTIDO) and the Center for
International Trade Expositions and Missions (Citem),
the 2014 edition of Manila FAME identified the weaves
that are beginning to show potential in global
marketability.
Manila FAME is a premier design and lifestyle event
held annually at the
SMX Convention, wholly
A Tboli from Lake Sebu demonstrates how tnalak is
made from abaca woven fiber. The age-old method is
widely recognized as the ikat
process

supported by Citem, which in turn is the export promotions arm of the Philippine
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Citem has always been committed to highlighting the versatility, viability, and global
competitiveness of Philippine craftsmanship, and we are glad we were able to
emphasize the fabrics that have been part of the countrys culture and artistry, related
Citem executive director Rosvi Gaetos.
He also identified the different Filipino designers who have become proponents of local
weaves.

For the cotton and loom-woven abel

textiles from Ilocos, Bungalow 300s
interior designers Marga Espiritu and
Vernice Songco, the artistic duos exhibit
at Manila FAME injected their refreshing
take on vintage and modern aesthetics.
This brought a new spin on the said fabric
that has been a huge part of the golden
age of Ilocos.
Weavers from Ilocos also participated in
presenting abel as material known for
bolstering the economy of the Ilocos
region during the colonial times, as the
Local weavers from Aklan show how pia is transformed into traditional
barong,

were
dresses, tapestries, bags, and furniture, accessories
countries of the
world.

products crafted from such thread

largely exported to different

Meanwhile, the vibrant and intricate

handcrafted mats that define the
traditional Samar mat weaving are being
advocated by painter and sculptor Patty
Eustaquio. At the Manila Fame exhibit,
she infused her design trademark that
highlights stark contrasts between the
present and the past.
Weavers from Samar also showcased how
the sedge grass locally known as tikog can
be transformed as mats, and how it can be
crafted for bags, furniture matting,
adornments for ceiling panels or walls, and
other decorative pieces.
The pia fabric from Aklan, on the other
hand, was exhibited through the
Intricacy is a common feature among Philippine weaves
interpretations of jewelery designer Natalya
Lagdameo. The fiber used in this famed weaving process in the region comes from the
mature leaves of the pineapple plant, which is scraped to extract the fine thread called
liniwan.

Aklanon weavers presented how this material is

commonly used in making the traditional barong,
dresses, tapestries, bags, and furniture
accessories.
Finally, the art of tnalak weaving from South
Cotabato, was brought to life by the design
sensibilities of Bong and Rossy Rojales of
Heima.
The Tboli women of Lake Sebu were invited to
demonstrate the weaving practice. This
traditional cloth weaves are made with abacawoven fiber, and the practice is widely
recognized for its age-old method involving the
ikat process, where natural dyes and threads from Handcrafted mats from Samar are woven from sedge grass
indigenous plants are used.
locally known as tikog
To date, the time-honored weaving is dubbed as dream weaving because the Tboli
weavers believe that the textile patterns are lent by Fu Dalu, the spirit of abaca, which
are communicated to them through dreams.