LIKHANG HABI MARKET FAIR GOES ONLINE FOR THE FIRST TIME

Driven by its advocacy to preserve and promote the local textile industry, HABI: The Philippine Textile Council continues to provide platforms for local weavers to showcase their work to more people.   

This year, in keeping with the times, the Likhang HABI Market Fair is going online for the first time at www.shophabifair.com from October 21 to 27. The annual trade fair used to be held at the Glorietta Activity Center.

 “Since we are not allowed to gather in large groups because of the pandemic, the online edition of the Likhang HABI Market Fair is our way of helping to sustain the local weaving economy,” says HABI president Adelaida Lim. “And we urge our HABI friends to join us in this endeavor.”  

A pioneer in artisan fairs and local textile advocacy, the Likhang HABI Online Market Fair will showcase sustainable and ethical fashion and lifestyle products from over 30 merchants representing various weaving communities from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.   

Since 2009, HABI has been providing traditional weavers and local weaving communities platforms to further enhance their skills in creative design and modern marketing by exchanging ideas with consumers, designers, and traders. The Likhang HABI Market Fair allows them to innovate and to level up to modern trends.  

“There are many beautiful fabrics from the different areas in our country. One of our main goals at HABI is to make sure that our traditional textiles will still be a part of our modern lifestyle as we transition to the new normal,” says HABI chairperson Maribel Ongpin.   

HABI also continues its long-term commitment and advocacy of reviving the use of pure Philippine cotton, a fiber that is very much a part of the Filipino culture. HABI has partnered with the Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PHILFIDA) to give our local farmer with cotton seeds and threads for its Cotton Adoption Project to encourage more weavers to use pure cotton in their products.   

Learn with HABI  

Aside from the online trade fair, there will also be a series of webinars and a four-day online summit in line with HABI’s mission to promote Filipino culture and heritage.  

For this year, HABI is supporting Nayong Pilipino for Mga Hibla ng Pamana: A Summit on Weaving as Intangible Cultural Heritage. The four-day online summit aims to discuss how different sectors in the country are coming together to protect and conserve traditional weaving practices and traditions.  

HABI is also collaborating with CulturAid, Kularts, House of Gongs, and Museo ng Muntinlupa to present the first-ever international Voices from the Field Program that will feature a series of webinars on the topic of Filipino Identity and Contemporary Cultural Practice in the Philippines and the Diaspora.  This webinar series aims to bridge interdisciplinary voices and encourage dialogue to better understand how our varied experiences as Filipinos have shaped the way we think, move, and learn. For the complete schedule of talks and webinars, please follow www.facebook.com/HABIThePhilippineTextileCouncil and @habifair on Instagram.  

Aside from the webinars, the latest work of Philippine textile experts Dr. Norma Respicio and Gayle Zialcita, “Weaving Ways: Filipino Styles and Techniques” will also be available at the online fair. The book discusses the different weaving communities in the Philippines, their history and traditions, and the different weaving styles and techniques of Filipino weavers.   

3rd Lourdes Montinola Piña Prize  

Another highlight of the annual Likhang HABI Market Fair is the Lourdes Montinola Piña Weaving Competition. Now in its third year, this competition recognizes exceptional craftsmanship and mastery of the delicate process of turning pineapple threads into works of art.   

The competition is open to all Filipino artisans who weave, dye, embroider or embellish piña. Interested participants can submit their entries until October 15.   

“The competition has encouraged us greatly over the years because it brings out new talent and revives old techniques. So, we always look forward to the surprises that this competition will bring,” says Adelaida Lim.   

The judges for the 3rd Lourdes Montinola Piña Weaving Competition are Filipino fashion designers Leslie Mobo and Len Cabili, and piña textile expert and food historian Felice Sta. Maria.  

For more information on Likhang HABI Online Market Fair, the series of webinars, and other HABI advocacies, please visit www.habitextilecouncil.ph or follow www.facebook.com/HabiThePhilTextileCouncil and Instagram @habifair.