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Samar’s fashion products on display in Vegas

By Roel Amazona

August 15, 2019, 2:12 pm

<p><strong>DEBUT.</strong> Basey, Samar’s “Lara” bags are on display at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the 'Magic 2019' tradeshow on August 12-14, 2019 . The event is a fashion marketplace where buyers find the latest in apparel, footwear, accessories, and manufacturing. <em>(Photo from FB page of Lara Samar)</em></p>

DEBUT. Basey, Samar’s “Lara” bags are on display at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the 'Magic 2019' tradeshow on August 12-14, 2019 . The event is a fashion marketplace where buyers find the latest in apparel, footwear, accessories, and manufacturing. (Photo from FB page of Lara Samar)

TACLOBAN CITY -- Basey, Samar’s high-end woven bags made their debut at a three-day international tradeshow in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States.

The bags, under the brand Lara, are on display at the "Magic 2019", the biggest tradeshow for emerging brands at the Las Vegas Convention Center on August 12-14. Lara is a local term for weaving.

Lara is one of the products under the "Spark Samar" tourism program launched in 2015. The brand has been selected by Fashion Philippines under Project Women to join the international trading event.

Lara brand manager Yen Pomida-Nacario said they aim to be a top contender in the global market, ultimately bringing the Samar product to the forefront as an iconic fashion staple.

“Lara is one of the Philippine brands handpicked and co-sponsored by (the) Department of Trade and Industry CITEM (Center for International Trade, Exposition and Mission) to join this prestigious event with the goal of turning local products into a top global fashion commodity. We wish our Lara team the very best,” Nacario said in her Facebook post on Wednesday.

“We have challenged our weavers to create designs that could compete in the high-end, global arena -- a challenge the weavers took to heart. 'Spark Samar' pursued the endeavor further toward fashion and lifestyle, creating Lara, a visionary brand, which transforms indigenous materials of Samar into contemporary fashion and lifestyle creations,” she added.

Being showcased in Vegas is a bag embroidered with the Visayan Broadbill, one of the many rare birds indigenous to the rainforests of Samar Island.

The image of the bird was meticulously embroidered using “buri”, a type of soft dried palm, into the original “tikog” (grass) bucket bag with a Bagobo weave.

“The attention that 'Spark Samar' is giving the industry, fuels this eagerness and creativity,” Nacario said.

From the usual bags made of “tikog” grass, weavers are now fusing their products with other indigenous materials, such as “buri” or “pandan” to create a design that reflects the daily lives of the people of Samar.

“Each bag, shoe, accessory, and decor tells a unique story since no two pieces are ever exactly the same. Everything is made with a touch of love,” Nacario said.

“By reinventing the banig (woven mats) into contemporary creations, Lara is saving the industry, thereby becoming a creative design platform weaving a bright future for the people of Samar. Through Lara, communities look forward to long-term sustainable livelihood promoting socio-cultural and environmental awareness while integrating a contemporary handle on tourism through fashion plus style,” she added.

Nacario said with Samar’s products being showcased in the international fashion arena, it became a wonderful representation of a nation that prides itself with the masterful hands of local artisans and with history and tradition, handed down from generation to generation.

Nacario and her team hope that not only Filipinos who live abroad but also foreigners would support their products with the chance given to them to showcase them in the international tradeshow.

"Magic 2019" is a fashion marketplace where buyers find the latest in apparel, footwear, accessories, and manufacturing. (PNA)


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