ILOILO CITY -- A fashion show that will change the mindset of people believing that “hablon” or woven cloth are just ethnic will happen in Manila’s high-end hotel at end of this month.
In an interview Wednesday, Imelda R. Canuel, partnerships and programs officer of Great Women Philippines Corporation (GWPhC), said that they have been working with the provincial government of Iloilo and selected local government units (LGUs) so that the fashion show will give the sense of knowledge to people that Iloilo is back in the textile world and that “it doesn’t have to be ethnic”.
“What we are trying to do is try to innovate the textile that is here in Iloilo and showcase to people that it is not ethnic, and it is something that is wearable and contemporary and relevant,” she said.
She added that together with designers and stylists, they worked together to put up the fashion show to showcase the “hablon” in “contemporary form”.
The fashion show dubbed, “Spring Summer 219 GW Collection”, would attempt to “differentiate the developments that we are doing”.
"If we put a lot of design component and innovation into it, we call it GW collection,” she said, adding that it is a form of branding.
Canuel added they are proud to be collaborating with concerned groups in Iloilo, including the weavers.
“If the weavers don’t want to weave, nothing will happen. We have to make them feel that they are important,” she said.
They are now collaborating with local designers to come up with their own designs and direction.
“That’s the direction that we want to take, we are innovating and reviving the industry in order for it to be relevant in today’s time,” she said.
They also look forward to working with students of the Iloilo Science and Technology University (ISAT-U), which has been offering programs on textile. “In terms of local designs, you are very rich,” she said.
The fashion show will take place at the lobby lounge of Makati Shangri-la.
GWPhC is also one of the partners in the establishment of the Regional Yarn Production and Innovation Center’ (RYPIC) in Miagao, Iloilo.
On its website www.greatwomenglobal.com, it says that Great Women “economically empower women’s businesses, linking supply chains of products that revitalize heritage, culture, and the spirit of craftsmanship" or through services that support and enhance women’s lives. (PNA)
