REINVENT
Every graduating college student knows that in order to gain
the diploma, one must first go through the needle hole of producing a
supposedly-outstanding-but-good-enough-is-okay thesis paper. For us art majors,
a product as an output from your research must come hand in hand with that
hard-bound thesis paper. My research topic then was focused on pinya fabric.
You know, the delicate, hand-woven fabric that probably the only people who
still have this in their closet are the oldies or those younger generations who
do have this probably stuff it at the back of the closet. In fact, most things
that are made using traditional methods like weaving get shoved far away from
the spotlight or thrown in the dump. One of the reasons why, according to my
research back in my thesis writing days, is that people think these things look
dated and out of style. Asked what they could recommend I do with pinya fabric
so they’d consider using something made from or with it was that I incorporate
it on something that looks fresh and can be used regularly. So that’s what I
did.
And what many other companies that support and uplift
Philippine traditions and Filipino craftsmen do.
Way before I started working, I could barely name materials
used in designs that were made from the gifts of nature. I could only name the
pinya fabric, of course because my father wore them almost every day, and the
banig/pandan weave which my brain only associated with those totes you see in
the streets of Divisoria. Of course, it goes without saying that my duty as a
designer was to familiarize myself with these different materials the company
utilizes. But now that more and more companies have started to recognize these
materials and the beauty of hand-made products, more people would be able to
know of these materials as well. Reinventing old products by giving them a
contemporary look has encouraged a whole generation who once wouldn’t even
bother giving these handmade goods a second look to take pride in what we call
our own. I’m happy to say that not only have they saved the dying art of
weaving and the many struggling communities who make all their products by hand,
they’ve also given these materials a new face in this world. If all goes well,
future generations will remember these materials and products as a statement
and as something to be proud of. Unlike me who is still reminded of the old and
the boring whenever I see these materials raw or deconstructed.
ISLAND GIRL Raffia and natural shells belt bag, UNIQLO skirt
(worn as top), UNIQLO jeans, ZARAH JUAN slip-ons
Photos by Ayre Caindec