Iloilo Province Celebrates the 6th Indigenous Fiber Fashion Fair

Fiber moves forward from the traditional design and colors through a showcase of garments created in a pure thought venue celebrating creativity and collaboration. The 6th edition of the Indigenous Fiber Fashion Fair is an exclusive fabric promotion, networking and business opportunity for the local textile industry to showcase handloom fabric, apparels, fabric fashion accessories and more. And here, hand-woven fabrics from the municipalities of Miagao, Oton, Dueńas, Badiangan and Igbaras will be showcased.

The Indigenous Fiber Fashion Fair annually organized by the Iloilo Provincial Government through the Office of Culture, Arts, History and Tourism with SM City Iloilo held the first event in 2008. Celebrated this year on September 5-7, 2013 at the event center of SM City Iloilo, IFFF will weave together the fabrics of Panay through the fashion designs of talented Ilonggo designers’ Francis Ian Chua, Jun-g Candelario, Alfie Jolo Desamparado, Paul Conte and Easther Marie Grejaldo. 

 young weaver from Brgy. Salngan in Oton, Iloilo

The Handloom Textile Industry in Iloilo has centuries old history. This tradition of handloom weaving has been brought down from generation to generation in the local towns. The Ilonggo weavers succeeded in creating a distinct identity of their own by transforming the traditional woven patterns and color schemes into the beautiful textile designs.

Iloilo’s handloom industry is a highly labor-intensive, rural based industry. It demonstrates excellent fabric handling properties partly due to its weaving method. The fabrics presently manufactured in our weaving communities are mostly of cotton with relatively small quantities of rayon, and polyester cotton. Iloilo also produces a range of products by using abaca, pińa and jusi. These textile products have been able to compete successfully with machine made fabrics.

textile showcase at the event center during the 5th Indigenous Fiber Fashion Fair at SM City Iloilo

The organizers have turned their attention to fashion in the last six years as a way of reaching large numbers of people through every link of the supply chain. They believe in the use fashion presentations as an effective marketing tool to educate consumers on the existing weaving industry in Iloilo. Fashion is also a useful means of communication among weavers, designers and consumers. Sample garments, color forecasts, development fabrics and general trend ideas provide valuable information on planning and styling lines.  Through this, direct customers are shown how new products can be made using our local hand-loomed fabrics.

The event will be bringing you a unique opportunity to explore sustainable livelihood such as weaving by sourcing in a new and innovative way.  The organizers see this program as potentially an incubator for re-introducing and re-educating the Ilonggos of our local fabrics as a source of raw materials in the local and national textile industry.

The fashion show will feature collections in contemporary yet experimental for a local audience. The designers aim to break the local fundamentals and will create a global fashion aesthetic to an Ilonggo fashion arena without disregarding their comfort zones and heritage.  The collections will use local craft fabric to emphasize statement pieces to show their passion for locality.

September 5 (Thursday) will open with Habol Ilonggo featuring the designs of Jun-g Candelario at 5:30 and will be followed by ICONS featuring hablon pieces modeled by members of the Women Lawyers Association of the Philippines-Iloilo Chapter at 6:30 p.m.; September 6 (Friday) will open with Hablon Moda featuring the collections of Francis Ian Chua at 5:30 p.m., ICONS from the Women Lawyers Association of the Philippines–Iloilo Chapter will follow at 6:30 p.m., Easther Marie Grejaldo will close the how at 7:30 p.m.; September 7 (Saturday) will feature Habol Aninipay with Paul Conte at 5:30 p.m and Alfie Jolo Desamparados at 6:30 p.m.

The 6^th Indigenous Fiber Fashion Fair is also brought to you by ABS-CBN Iloilo, Women Lawyers Association of the Philippines-Iloilo Chapter. Hair and make-up by John Montinola.