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| Breath taking beadworks with local abaca and pandan twine. Pendant is made from bamboo! I remember a similar exquisite work when young designer Jojie Lloren won the Grand Prix ( Grand Prize) at the Concourse International des Jeunes Creteurs de Mode in Paris, France as delegate of the Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines. |
The Iloilo Provincial Office through its Tourism Planning
Office was able to pull a beautiful exhibit of the costumes of Dinagyang from
several past participants and I enjoyed it a lot, so did many visitors, mostly
Ilonggos. What elated me most is that the children and their parents enjoyed
the experience much more than they would see the street performance where one
can not see much.
The entire experience is that one can touch the costumes and
look at it closely. I did. I was amazed with the craftsmanship and details of
the works. What is amazing was the use
of local materials. The ethnic Filipino patterns that bridge our modern
thinking with our past.
The colors were so
tropically alive and it was just perking up the Filipino fondness for
what is festive. I will try to present some picture essay here.
On the other hand, perhaps, this exhibit is a testimony that
Filipinos can do their own costumes well, too, with the advent of the
disappointments of Filipinos with the national costume of our Miss Universe 2014
representative which was created by Colombian
designer Alfredo Barraza. What he designed may be ok in form as a mestiza or
terno cut but the materials were downright cheap and un-Filipino. In the first
place, Filipinos are not noted for using roses used in that said costume. Ours
is more ethnic prints, stripes, callado, bead work and handloom. While these intricate works on exhibit are
mostly done by non-designers, I guess done by local community members and
schools, looking at the works, they express the true essence and spirit of
what is Filipino creativity in costume design which is detailed handcrafted embellishments.
The quality was not as tip top, but it is all about creativity. The artisanal spirit was impressive.
Although, the silhouettes are really fantasy, rather than
indigenous, although some reflected our tribal forms from North to South of the
Philippines, the collections were
outstanding specially those using our local weave “hablon” and “patadyong”. As a note, the Dinagyang festival costumes,
should be categorized into “fantasy” design, those with influences of Africa or
Latin American and the other is “indigenous” design, those which are really
Filipino tribal, folkloric, colonial and regional. Dinagyang should consider
these two categories in order not to confuse our young people since Ati-atihan
is about the nomadic Aetas who wear only “patadyong” and “bahag” (loin cloth).
Somehow the Dinagyang is becoming like a Brazilian mardigras---except those
with design sensibilities like the original tribes of Barotac Nuevo Iloilo who
once came only in their “bahag”.
I was once asked how to create a distinct Filipino costume,
and I said, it has to be material first and then material manipulation next with our own indigenous resources –something that
is truly ours like coconut beads, abaca, pineapple fiber, raffia or bamboo, as
some costumes with Asian or Hispanic origins have some things in common.
I learned there was a
n exhibit of all of the Philippine festival costumes on the same venue but I
missed that one as they were taken to the streets which is also a fantastic
idea. The Philippine festival costumes certainly are the richest, most diverse
and most beautiful one could imagine. They, too, tell many stories of who we
are and give us a sense of pride as a Filipino race.
I must congratulate Mr Bombette Marin and his team at the
Iloilo Provincial Office of Tourism for this exhibit. What a joy to see many
families with their kids were happy to see---and touch---the soul of Iloilo in
these well made festival costumes.
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| artistc use of dyed coconut beads |
woven pandan leaves as borders and intricate bead work
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| Amazing bead work |
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grass skirt with hemline of ethnic handloom fabrics. the top is exqusitely detailed in ethnic bead work
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| beautiful dying technique on Philippine fiber --raffia |
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| Local fiber "raffia" in ombre dyed technique. The costume reminds us of the Ivatans.Dong Omaga Diaz , whose entry through the Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines, was made of beautiful raffia jacket won one of the major awards at the Concourse International des Jeunes Creteurs de Mode in Paris, France. |
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| use of "salapid" ( braided ) palm fan leaves or pandan |
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| captivating bead work |
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| Truly Ilonggo using our own handloom "patadyong" in a stylized "saya" ( skirt) and "alampay" ( shawl) |
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| Patadyong and use of upcycled discared fabrics |
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| layered pattern on pattern |
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| texture and weaving wonders of a Filipino "salakot"--a local straw hat |
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| the rythmn of Philippine ethnic colors and movement |
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| Iloilo, the textile capital of the Philippines during the Spanish period, has "hablon" which is handloom fabric used in this costume. It has also its own indigenous needle craft used here. |
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| Details of coconut beads and local weave "patadyong" |
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| Coconut shells, dyed and interprets a Filipino skill in beadwork |
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| the exquisite details of a hemline using Philippine textiles and prints |
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| Here the base fabric is dyed woven jute |
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| Batik embellished with dye wood beads and trimmed with braided palm leaves "pandan" |
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| the primitive look made modern |
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| Philippine flag as a motif |
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| belt is made from handwoven "banig" with coconut shell rings and pandan |
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This uses pineapple leaves twine from Guimaras Island |
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| Filipino antique beads reproduction with delicate etchings of tribal patterns |
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Manila Hemp known also as Philippine abaca is used as cording details here
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The lovely detail of ethnic print and bead work
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How wonderful to see these young Filipinos in Iloilo loving and touching these locally made festival costumes.
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Local residents loved the exhibit as the costumes were just so intimate to them and they can inter-act with them.
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| A boy matches the colors of the Ati-atihan mask with his head cap |
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