MANILA, PHILIPPINES – HABI: The Philippine Textile Council is excited to take you through the #HABIJourney at the 9th Likhang HABI Market Fair on October 11 to 13 at the Glorietta 3 Activity Center in Makati City.
With the theme The Highlights of our HABI Journey, this year’s edition of the pioneer in artisan market fairs and textile advocacy promises to be an immersive experience.
The three-day fair will feature a HABI Craft Corner where visitors can create their own woven products and learn the basics of weaving using 100% cotton and other natural local fibers. There will also be lessons on modern weaving, which plays a lot with different materials, textures, colors, and weaving techniques.
HABI goers can also participate in macrame sessions, also known as the art of knotting.
In keeping with its goal of promoting the Filipino culture and heritage, the Likhang HABI Market Fair will also have a lesson on writing and understanding Baybayin, the beautiful pre-colonial ancient writing script of the Philippines. Cultural dance performances, traditional Filipino music from different regions of the country, and Filipino art installations will also be part of the three-day fair.
“This year, we encourage Likhang HABI fairgoers to immerse themselves in the beautiful weaving communities and traditional textiles of our country,” says HABI Chair Maribel Ongpin. “We will have participating weavers from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao so the opportunity to learn at the fair is endless.”
With 52 participating merchants from all over the Philippines, the Likhang HABI Market Fair will showcase sustainable and ethical fashion and other lifestyle products using traditional and contemporary textiles such as habol negrense from Negros Occidental, yakan from Basilan, inaul from Maguindanao, binubudan from Ifugao, binakol and abel from Ilocos, tepina from Palawan, and many more.
Several merchants will also present products that feature contemporary Filipino fabrics such as bin al kay cotton ikat, La Herminia cotton abaca, etc. The fair will also see a resurgence in the use of pure Philippine cotton, a long-term commitment and advocacy of HABI.
“There is an abundance of beautiful fabrics in the Philippines and we want to show that these fabrics from different corners of the Philippines can be a part of our modern lifestyle,” says HABI President Adelaida Lim.
Likhang HABI Market Fair 2019 will feature a talk on sustainable shoe making and why it is important to support the shoe-making industry of Marikina City.
Since 2009, HABI has been providing traditional weavers and local weaving communities an avenue 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.
For more information about the fair, please visit www.habitextilecouncil.ph or follow www.facebook.com/HabiThePhilTextileCouncil and Instagram @habifair.
About Likhang HABI Fair:
HABI the Philippine Textile Council, will preserve, promote and enhance Philippine Textiles Education, Communication and Research using public and private resources. We are all about sustaining weaving communities all over the country.
LIKHANG HABI FAIR is an annual event held every October at Glorietta Activity Center, that promotes “the preservation and creative enhancement of the indigenous textile industry through entrepreneurship and synergy.” The fair features master weavers talking about their craft and a forum focused on the revival of the local textile industry.
