The annual Likhang Habi Market Fair is returning to One Ayala’s SPACE Events Hall in Makati City for its 16th edition, gathering over 80 exhibitors of local brands, textiles, and designers.
The flagship program of HABI: The Philippine Textile Council will run this year from October 9 to 11 carrying the theme “Worth Every Thread” for a weekend dedicated to weavers, artisans, designers, makers, and textile advocates.
Among the participating brands this year are Edric Ong, Aruga Handwovens, Barba, La Bonne Vie, Yana’s Woven Textile, Good Luck, Humans, and Piña Seda Primera, just to name a few.
The organization’s president emiritus Adelaida Lim recalled in a statement how the fair began with just 30 booths but has since grown bigger as years passed.
“It was very encouraging… nakakataba ng puso to see the interest that has grown and to see how people have stared to wear the Filipiniana not just for special occasions but even to go to the office,” she added. “So, it is no longer a costume, so to speak. It is already integrated into daily living.”
Current president Mia Villanueva brought up during the event’s media conference on Wednesday, September 23, how common it is for them to get asked about the expensive prices of local weaves.
Villanueva aimed at pivoting the conversation from the exorbitant prices to learning the value of these weaves and to acknowledge the skill, craftstmanship, time, and physical labor that go into each pieces.
“When you understand what goes into making something by hand, using Indigenous fibers and traditional skills, you begin to see why it is worth every thread,” Villanueva said. A new initiative of the fair includes displaying the materials used and the names of the individuals or communities who produced the weaves.
Villanueva explained it is a measure that properly celebrates local weavers and their products that carry traces of the land, labor, skills, and aspirations of their communities.
Returning this year are new editions of the Lourdes Montinola Piña Weaving Competition and Eloisa Hizon Gomez Abaca Weaving Competition, now in their ninth and fifth years, respectively.
There will again be round-the-clock screenings of documentaries focusing on local textile traditions and weaving communities, including chosen “i-Witness” documentary features.
Broadcast journalists Howie Severino and Mariz Umali will take part in free talk-back sessions following screenings of “Kinakalingang Habi” and “Agkulol.”
Concurrent with the market fair are the Kwentong Kultura sessions for speakers and practitioners to discuss local textiles – from their cultural heritage and preservation practices to curation, product development, entrepreneurship, and the challenges weaving communites face.
The Benilde Fashion Museum, the country’s first university-based fashion museum, will hold an exhibition of Philippine fashion heritage by renowned Filipino designers from the 20th century.
Among those going on display are Filipiniana dresses worn by former First Lady Luz Magsaysay and the late Beth Day Romulo.