The models with AHPADA president Mina Gabor and anthropologist Dave Baradas donning woven fabrics turned into modern and stylish pieces.

The art and process of weaving is as laborious and intricate as it gets, but it seems that not many realize how much of a revered craft it really is. In fact, it is alarmingly becoming a dying craft. What is ironic, however, in this perilous situation is that this ancient art of hand-weaving  and loom-weaving that majority of Filipinos tend to overlook is the very same craft that the indigenous peoples in this country anchor upon for their livelihood. It is what historians seek for narratives of our cultural past. It is what researchers hunt to define an ethnic group’s lifestyle and aesthetics. And each thread and fiber that goes into creating a piece is a tangible example of how hard-working and meticulous weavers are.

It is good to know however that there have been efforts, no matter how small they may seem to be for others, to revive interest and awareness in the importance of arts and crafts, particularly weaving, in the country’s holistic development. One step to this revitalization process is the use of indigenous fabrics and natural fibers in some of the contemporary ensembles that treaded down the runway for the Holiday Collection of the Philippine Fashion Week.

Veteran designer Gerry Katigbak, for one, used Manila hemp and pineapple fabric for his creations that deconstructed the celebrated Barong Tagalog into sleek modern pieces and silhouettes for men and women alike. Couture designer Estien Quijano, on the other hand, transformed classic menswear into unorthodox and street pieces using organic Sebina fabric from bamboo shoots.

Now, as the United Nations (UN) declared this year ‘International Year of Natural Fibers,’ efforts of encouraging the use of these displaced fibers are well underway. In the country, the Asean Handicraft Promotion and Development Association (AHPADA) is at the forefront of said efforts along with the Department of Agriculture.

Established in 1981 as a result of a workshop on handicrafts for export in Bangkok, the AHPADA is a forum for both government and private sectors in the promotion and development of various arts and crafts activities in Southeast Asian nations. It was created to “preserve and improve the status of craftspeople within and outside the Asia-Pacific region.” It also supports crafts through training initiatives, building businesses that will enhance cultural tourism, and vocational training of the youth and the physically challenged.

Of late, as answer to the UN’s call of recognizing the diverse range of natural fibers the world over and its aims at raising global awareness of the significance of natural fibers not only to the fiber industry and its producers but also to consumers and to the environment, the AHPADA has adopted a theme billed ‘Weaves of the World’ for its second offering of the AHPADA International Arts and Crafts Expo come October 26-29 at the Philippine Trade Training Center.

Understanding that over the past half century, natural fibers have been displaced in clothing, household furnishings, industries, and agriculture by man-made and synthetic threads, the AHPADA expo, led by its president and former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor, aims to provide ample space for the Philippines, neighboring Asian countries, and other nations such as the United States and South Africa to name a few to show woven fabrics indigenous to them and to help people in the appreciation of said fabrics.

Testament to the diversity and dynamic uses of these fabrics is Dr. Dave Baradas. A noted anthropologist, museum curator, and member of the committee on intangible heritage of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Baradas gave us a sneak preview of things to be expected at the international expo. Baradas showed us his personal collection of traditional and modern textiles made by weavers throughout the archipelago. He specifically touched upon one of the goals of the expo to fashion a well-rounded promotion of natural fabrics by way of marketing them not just only actual symbols of national pride but as functional pieces for home and for fashion.

A smorgasbord of national fabrics donned by models was presented by Baradas during the preview. Some of fabrics showcased were a Bagobo striped cloth, a Jolo piece that weavers create without blueprints, an authentic fuchsia Maranao malong made of pure silk that took about three months to finish, an ancient silk sash from Tawi-Tawi, a red Ilocano blanket whose color came from the organic dye of the Narra tree, a cross-stitched Tibolo garment, a Tausug bodice, and a yellow Abra vest dyed using wild ginger. The models wore the fabrics in a stylish and up-to-date manner—evoking a bohemian, laidback, and elegant style that is timeless and effervescent.

And since there is now a global pressure to foster cultural enterprises, Gabor also stressed that along with the expo, there will also be a conference for business opportunities for natural fibers.
She also mentioned that there will be seminars tackling production and marketing of Philippine fibers and their roles in providing income and assuaging poverty in the farm and industrial sectors.

The expo will also see crafts demonstrations and cultural events and performances.

For more information about the expo, call the AHPADA secretariat at 832-0996 or e-mail ahpadaexpo@yahoo.com.