UPCYCLED REPURPOSED KATSA FLOUR SACK APPAREL by Nautilus PJ Aranador Boracay and Iloilo

Philippine Terno at Escuela de Artesanias de las Filipinas Iloilo City

THE LOVELY BUTTERFLIES OF THE PHILIPPINES. 

In our country, our women in their national costume are as lovely as the butterflies, aristocratic they may look.

The “baro’t saya” ( blouse and skirt) which were made from stiff and sheer materials on loose top with well-pronounced bell sleeves made from handloom textiles, mostly starched, to make them stylishly stiff. The kind of material used was dependent on what the status a woman was in society. The finest pineapple fiber called piña was for the affluent and high society ( called the insulares) while the rough banana fiber called “abaca” with fabric called “sinamay” was for the peasants ( called the peninsulares). This was apparent in Iloilo, the textile capital of the Philippines during the Spanish period.

The dress came with a triangular “pañuelo” (handkerchief ) or huge tusseled “Manton de Manila” scarf worn over the shoulder, and a “tapis “ ( a rectangular fabric) wrapped around the waist. The sweeping mermaid shaped skirts called “serpentina ” were made of cotton in handwoven patterns of stripes or checks.
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For 300 years, the Filipiniana barely evolved until the Americans came for 50 years. The bell sleeves were flattened to become the signature butterfly sleeves of the “terno” so they could be detached and kept in wooden chests called “baul.” I remember my grandmother ( or "abuela" in Spanish for grandmother and her "primas" ( cousins) when the "muchacha" ( Ilonggo for house helpers) delicatelty pinned the butterfly sleeves on their "kimona"( saddle shaped) "baro" top. So to conclude, the bell sleeves when removed from the "baul" became flat, and when worn looked like butterfly wings! The "baro" were never washed because of the undergarment called "camisola" made them clean anyway. So they just went back to the "baul" flattened as thin as paper.

The influence of America transformed the national costume into body hugging silhouettes with stylish almost like Hollywood style draping and the use of modern textiles like chiffon and synthetics as well as three-dimensional decorations like flower appliqués.

They were embellished with exquisite needleworks such as “callado” ( fret work embroideries), intricate beadworks until recently handpaintings or mix media decorations. Accessories came in the forms of “abanicos”( fans), “payong” ( umbrellas), “sombreros ( hats), “panyo”( hankies) , “baston” ( cane) and “filigrana” ( gold antique jewelry).

The distinct Filipino style is known to be the “ fondness for anything sheer” with the top garment so revealing to show the undergarment “camisola.” This sheerness is also found in the Filipino Spanish houses in “ventanillas” ( cut-outs), “barandillas” ( balusters) , “senefas “ ( fretworks) and capiz shell windows all transparent or punctured for see throughs.

It is said that one of the most elegant national costumes in the world is that of the Philippines with its unique and distinct BUTTERFLY SLEEVES.

Aristocratic they look. As flambouyant as the butterflies could be.

Escuela teaches the classical way to construct a terno. 

COLOR SWATCHES Spring Summer 2016 / 17

Escuela ifashion Academy Iloilo WHO WE ARE and WHAT WE DO BEST

Escuela de Artesanias de las Filipinas ifashion Academy

ifashion stands for International Fashion Academy for Specific Home-land Industries and On-line Networks.

Esquina Calle General Hughes and Zamora, Plaza Independencia, Iloilo Proper, Iloilo City, PhilippinesContact Landline 033-321-0370 look for Jelaine Or Text 09189097362 PJ or 09093505640

Websites

WORD PRESS https://escuela6633.wordpress.com/

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/EscueladeArtesaniasdelasFilipinas/info/?tab=page_info&section=long_desc&view

YOU TUBE

escuela0221@gmail.com

ESCUELA ARTESANIAS de las FILIPINAS iFashion School PJ Arañador is the first international design-led crafts and artisanal fashion school Iloilo City. Founded by PJ Arañador is a multi-awarded international lifestyle designer and owner of the Nautilus PJ Arañador Design Studio One. His body of works on design-led crafts spans across Asia, Africa, South and North America, the Caribbean, India, Middle East, China, Australia and Europe. He has been the curator of international fairs in Colombia, Peru and India. 

For more than 25 years, PJ Arañador has served many communities around the world leveling up the artisans through crafts livelihood. He advocates trade fair and ethical fashion which are sustainable through mentorship  in product design, merchandise development,  entrepreneurship and branding. He is the youngest recipient of the Outstanding Professional Awards in Arts and Letters from the University of the Philippines where he graduated. He was a faculty member of La Salle College International School. He has been a trainor and teacher for many private and government entities around the world. He has mentored thousands of young students, artisans and entrepreneurs in his own country alone. Foremost of his involvement is being one of the longest consultants to the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines. 

Arañador is a co-founder of the Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines and member of the Society for Sustainable Tourism and Development. He is also an international environmental design activist as consultant for Go Green Philippines and  author of  Project Zero. He  is a developmental design mentor for Maarte with the  Museum Foundation of the Philippines, Compete Philippines and Asia Foundation, owner of Nautilus brand for resortwear and lifestyle crafts  in Boracay and Wawa,a heritage slow food restaurant.

ABOUT THE SHOOL.

The school core competency is teaching design-led crafts specific to homeland industries. There are no laboratories in the school, instead, the students will do their lab works in the workshops and livelihood centers in the communities, thereby, the students will work where the materials and artisans' skills are. Each class are usually short terms in as short as half a day or three weeks. The classes have small number of students in a inter-active around the table format to allow better interaction and collaborations.

ifashion stands for International Fashion Academy for Specific Home-land Industries and On-line Networks. The school teaches crafts and design with provenance of the materials and techniques. Refered to  as endemic design as well, the method of teaching it based on available local materials and skills for it to be sustainable. It teaches ethical, green and socially responsible fashion and design. 

The teaching method is anchored stimulating points of view of students to be experts in artisanal fashion, design-led crafts and level-up skills in modern design sensibilities and innovation. Each student is taught on the premise that design means business by moulding them to be entrepreneurs rather than as employees, thereby, creating industries towards nation building. The school offers courses even to children and teens because it believes training them should during formative years. It also  inculcate to students that a college education is not necessarily an advantage in the creative world, thereby, giving them an alternative way for other career paths other than the traditional ways. 

The school offers scholarships to youths who can not afford to go to school, specially to children of artisans. These are in majority deserving rural students, mostly children of craftsmen or young people within the crafts cluster. It also conducts annual design competition for scholarship called Hecho Derecho in which in-coming students  and already enrolled in may avail of free tuitions by competing in design contests.

The school connects with the artisans' workshops and community livelihood centers through on-line, thereby, upgrading the design methods through information technology and digital media. Design-led crafts and artisanal fashion becomes relevant where the crafts community is its laboratory. It embraces design through innovation with the green collar economy in mind while creating design-led crafts which preserves the cultural. social and environmental heritage of the Philippines and other races.

The school is located in a restored 1920 building along the heritage row of Iloilo City. The building was the first international hotel in the city where national and international who’s who stayed. It overlooking the Iloilo straight and the Iloilo City Capitol and the majestic old world edifices of the Queen’s City of the South.

SPRING SUMMER Color 2016 2017 as compiled by PJ Aranador