by PJ Arañador
Hablon is the indigenous handloom textile of Iloilo since the Spanish period in the Philippines for over 300 years. It is now much alive today.
In the beginning, “ hablon” was handwoven to make thick blankets. Ilonggo folks in the past interchanged the word “ habol” for blanket or the act of weaving itself. “ Hablon ” is the finished product. Its root word is “ habol”.
The patterns are traditionally done manually on paper which is tedious while today with computer aided design I create the patterns of design with digital technology. This speeds up the process while it relates to the Gen Z and the millenials. However, weaving is still handloom using the traditional footpedal called the "teral" or " tedal" which preserves the charm of the old world craft.
Hablon is similar to Abel of Ilocos region. Hablon usually uses a blend of polyester and cotton today unlike the abel that remained using all cotton until today. Perhaps with its promixity to the source of Chinese cotton yarn or thread in northern Luzon. Although Iloilo still weaves blends including the luxurious and expensive "jusi" which is mixing silk and piña or pineapple fiber.
Habol which means in Ilonggo to weave was all cotton in 1700's until the British built the international port of Iloilo called Muelle Loney, named after the British investor who built it when England had its presence in Iloilo at the turn of the century, who bought milled cotton to Iloilo and the industry declined drastically.
The high profit in sugarcane business for Ilonggos, who were the first to export sugar to Australia, and the rest of the world, shifted the economy from textiles to sugar. At that time Iloilo was the textile capital of the Philippines which was from 1700's to 1900's.
Hablon is also refered as " Binisaya" or " Visayan" handloom textile using foot pedal unlike in Mindanao most of them uses the backstrap loom. My aunts in Badiagan Iloilo used to gift us with hablon and it was made of thick wool when the American missionaries in Iloilo bought wool yarn. We used them only as blanket. They were colorful.
Hablon can be refered to both "patadyong" ( checkered print) and "hablon" ( inserted pattern) or " turn of the century Filipino archetype Damian Domingo stripes). Patadyong was for everyday use in tube dresses while hablon for special occasion garments like terno or barong.
While in the Cordilleras the inserts are usually after nature like rice, plants, mountains or animals, hablon has the more European prints that include fine suiting type pattern of pin stripes or bold nautical like prints. I made highly engineered pattern for my past collections now in my archive.
The one unique charcteristics of hablon is that it is a chameleon fabric which means it changes its color ar different angles.
PHOTO Textile design for hablon by PJ Aranador in indigenous geometric patterns over red or black base for an international runway virtual show at Tenun Fashion Week for ASEAN countries.
VIRTUAL SHOW DETAILS
Iloilo handloom textiles hablon at the Tenun Fashion Week for ASEAN countries. Virtual World Premiere Oct. 16, 2021 7 to 9 pm GMT +8 in YouTube Channel: TENUN Fashion Week
https://www.youtube.com/.../UC.../channels
b) Facebook live on our Facebook page: TENUN Fashion Week
Designer Apparel and Accessories PJ Aranador
Artisans Salngan Multipurpose Coop Oton Iloilo Province Elsie Balidiong
Marketing Arm Panublix Noreen Marian Bautista
Photo Algie Casuela Panaguiton Jr.
HMUA Benny Che
Model Elmar Banate
Thanks to Permanent Ambassador of the Philippines to the ASEAN Amb Noel Servigon
Iloilo Provincial Office for Culture, Arts and Tourism Bombette Golez Marin #hablon #tenun ,
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