Fashion is a means to express our own character. On a greater scale, it is regarded as the reflection of a society鈥檚 culture and values. For 糖心Vlog (FEU), fashion is a playground for creativity where the traditional and the contemporary can mingle.
Inspired by FEU Chair Emeritus Dr. Lourdes R. Montinola鈥檚 commitment to the local textile industry, the Philippine Textile Council and the university鈥檚 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts (IARFA) recently hosted competitions that promoted local weaving. These are the Pi帽a Weaving competition and the Hibla Fashion Show. The former is on its second year while the latter features work from artisans in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
HABI using the Pi帽a
To showcase traditional weaving, the Lourdes Montinola Pi帽a Weaving competition was established. The recently held 2019 edition continues the original intention of the event鈥攔evitalizing traditional pi帽a cloth production and welcoming fresh ideas from young talents.
For Dr. Montinola, Pi帽a goes beyond being a fruit; it is a symbol of grandeur and a national cultural treasure. This heritage can be seen in the Barong Tagalog and Baro鈥檛 Saya.
In her book entitled Pi帽a, Dr. Montinola gives a thorough background of the fruit textile, which began in the Philippines in the early 1500s. The material, which is mixed with cotton or silk was used to make high-end Barong Tagalog and Baro鈥檛 Saya through the help of Spanish nuns. Due to its limited seasonal supply then, the material used to be expensive, and could only be worn by the upper class. In the 14th century, owning a pure Barong Tagalog and Baro鈥檛 Saya was a status symbol, making the textile material that of royalty.
This year鈥檚 winning entry by Raquel Elserio is a fantastic example of this. Her inventive pi帽a-silk shawl enhances the smoothness of the fabric by juxtaposing it with clever knotting of the individual fibers.
HIBLA of the native
As an integral part of the Textile and Fashion Design class, FEU鈥檚 senior students took the reins of the Hibla fashion show. With the theme 鈥淧amana Para sa Kinabukasan,鈥� the show sought to promote culture and heritage preservation. It also highlighted various trade specialties of selected regions such as farming, fishing, and logging to name a few.
The event had five categories: casual wear, semi-formal, formal, couture, and accessories and jewelry. Student groups in each category were tasked to collaborate on reinventing fabrics of the different regions in the country.
The winners took their inspiration from the versatility of Mindanao fabrics such as the Maguindanao textile and T鈥檔alak-inspired accessory pieces. Others were inspired by the symbolic diversity of Iloilo鈥檚 Hablon fabric.
The institution is now on its second year of promoting Filipino culture through Fashion. FEU aspires to champion a community of socially aware Filipino designers by embracing their local identity.
鈥淲e are proud of our fashion design students鈥� output this year. It is our vision to develop highly motivated and dedicated professionals who respond to the needs of the changing times,鈥� says Dean Raquel Lim Baquiran of FEU IARFA. 鈥淚ndeed, the students embody that spirit of innovation and creativity, while proudly staying true to their national identity.鈥�