Insights from a Crash Course on the Philippine Textile Industry
September 25, 2012
Department of Clothing, Textile, and Interior Design - College of Home Economics
University of the Philippines, Diliman
Not very many people know much about the Philippine Textile Industry, primarily because 1) it’s not within their field and therefore don’t really seek to know more about it, or 2) it IS within their field but it seems too work-intensive/costly to get into. However, I believe that the status of the Philippine Textile Industry should be a concern for every Filipino.
Thanks to my good friend Kitty, who teaches Clothing Technology at UP, and knows of my interest in the subject (see my posts on weaving/textile) and my desire to really generating more awareness of our textile traditions after my visit to Ock Pop Tok in Laos, I had the privilege of attending the Scanning Philippine Indigenous Textiles forum. For me, it only further validated my belief that every Filipino should know more about it.
Let me share some of the highlights.
![Easter Weaving, Baguio: Keeping tradition alive, non-traditionally
I’ve always been a fan of tribal prints and ethnic-looking things, yes even before they came into fashion, as evidenced by several bags and articles of clothing in my closet, and my Navajo camera strap design for Punchdrunk Panda, so naturally, I was like a kid who had stepped into Willy Wonka’s factory when I set foot in Easter Weaving’s Showroom.
You could opt to purchase rolls of fabric, which initially, at around P400/meter for a 30”-wide roll sounds steep. However, upon seeing the process behind the creation of the material (which I hope to share with you guys in a video), and the beauty of the patterns, I realize it is justifiably “pricey” after all. See some of the drool-worthy textiles below:
[[MORE]]
You can also opt to support their craft by purchasing from their wide array of products including bags, purses, shoes, sandals, headbands, clothing, linens, tapestries and more.
I find that I’m quite the bag lady. Not quite the designer bag lover (though I’ve gotten quite a bit of attention whenever I bring around my mother’s red vintage epi leather Louis Vuitton satchel), but I noticed an affluence of amorphous textile bags. So it was only natural that I fall in love with this bag:
After spending on all my Baguio eats and recent e-ticket bookings, I decided I couldn’t, and essentially didn’t need to spend some P1450 on another bag. That may seem pricey to some people for a textile bag, but it was really beautiful and really worth every peso when you see how painstaking it looks to weave that pattern.
But I wanted to do my tiny bit to help support their industry, have a piece of their art to take home with me, and have something to put on my head for a semblance of style since I’ve been too lazy to put any sort of product on my short, short hair recently, so I decided to purchase a couple of their headbands.
Easter Weaving’s patterns are taken from different places in the Cordilleras including Abra, Apayao, Bontoc, Ibaloi, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Kankana-ey (Abra, Bontoc and Kalinga are my favorites), and I’m glad that their tradition is being kept alive, even if reapplied in non-traditional formats (like blazers, etc). I guess you can say I sort of see a similarity with Punchdrunk Panda’s PdP-losophy here. :)
So, the next time you’re in the City of Pines, remember there’s more than just Camp John Hay, Mines View and Good Shepherd. Drop by the Easter Weaving Room, support our Cordilleras’ beautiful textile traditions, and bring home more than just brooms and strawberry jam. Huzzah!
Weave love,Jen
Twitter | Facebook | Vimeo | E-mail
Easter Weaving Room, Inc.Easter Road, Guisad 22600 Baguio City, Philippines+63 74 442 4972](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4dnloUESj1r0u81eo1_1280.jpg)
Easter Weaving, Baguio: Keeping tradition alive, non-traditionally
I’ve always been a fan of tribal prints and ethnic-looking things, yes even before they came into fashion, as evidenced by several bags and articles of clothing in my closet, and my Navajo camera strap design for Punchdrunk Panda, so naturally, I was like a kid who had stepped into Willy Wonka’s factory when I set foot in Easter Weaving’s Showroom.
You could opt to purchase rolls of fabric, which initially, at around P400/meter for a 30”-wide roll sounds steep. However, upon seeing the process behind the creation of the material (which I hope to share with you guys in a video), and the beauty of the patterns, I realize it is justifiably “pricey” after all. See some of the drool-worthy textiles below:
