Philippine fashion designer Cora DJ Manimbo and handmade filigree-jewellery designer Oskar A. Atendido are turning out to be a formidable team in placing their country's filigree craft and indigenous fabrics under the spotlight.
In the last five years, they have travelled to a number of countries to promote and educate expat Filipinos and the general public on the dire need to preserve these cultural identities before nothing of them is left.
They were in Bangkok recently to showcase their craft at the Filipiniana Fashion Show & Exhibit, held during the 118th Independence Day celebrations. The occasion brought together a number of expat Filipinos who doubled as models for their collections.
Manimbo has been a fashion designer for Philippines clothing for close to two decades, working tirelessly to source both indigenous fabrics and local know-how from remote areas of the country. All this in the hope that it will encourage her countermen to carry the mantle of preserving the Philippines' indigenous fabrics and designs.
At the outset of her career as a fashion designer, she was hit with the realisation that there were a lot of fabrics indigenous to the Philippines on the verge of dying out because of a lack of interest in preserving them.
"Some of the designs that bear similarities with other Asean countries are already gone," she remarked with regret.
"Most Filipinos don't know that we once had a robust weaving industry. Today the trend is to do away with the old and embrace the new, and in the process we lose a part of our heritage.
"Filipino gowns and dresses are 'costumey', but this doesn't mean we can't make them mainstream so they can be worn over jeans and shirts.
"Filipino weaving is a dying craft too. I don't want it to become extinct, and the only way for this to not happen is for everyone to decide to promote it by wearing it often. We have to be proud of it, exploring the possibilities of reviving it at every given opportunity."
Atendido, the more flamboyant of the two, believes filigree heritage in the Philippines is a dying craft because its popularity has dwindled enormously through the decades. This predicament, which he discovered while producing a television show, made him adamant about reviving and revitalising the craft, giving it a new appeal so it becomes once again a fashionable accessory.
During his research, he also found that Thailand and the Philippines shared commonalities in the craft. Expounding on this, he said: "Like the Philippines, Thailand in its antiquity also had a lot of filigree jewellery. Where have the designs come from? I would surmise that it might be from the same source, which is basically Indian influences.
"Unfortunately, it's a craft people take for granted. I believe we have to reawaken the taste for this particular craft because it is precious, and worth preserving for the next generation. Very few countries are actually excelling at it, partly due to its being very time-consuming. The younger generation also doesn't see the worth of keeping the craft alive."
For anyone who would like to follow in his footsteps, Atendido recommends they restyle the filigree to make it more attractive. Give it new proportions and colours so it will once again become a stylish accessory that can be matched with an array of clothing, he said. When you can make it chic and trendy, you can generate interest among consumers for a craft of centuries' standing.
Having been through a number of countries promoting the use of ingenious material, Manimbo was taken aback by the lack of knowledge her countrymen have on the subject. The younger generation didn't even know the designs and fabric originated in the Philippines.
Seeing a need to become a role model, she remarked that her work is largely focused on conducting research on the subject, using what she finds in her collections and looking for weavers all over the Philippines to further preserve the local know-how.
Manimbo said promoting this craft has become her life's mission. A former banker, she was inspired by her mother, a talented seamstress, to take up fashion-designing when she was already in her late 30s. Since then she hasn't looked back. It's because of her mother's local knowledge of indigenous fabrics that she developed a passion to make modern fashion with these materials.
On the impact they hope their trip to Bangkok will have on his audience, Atendido said: "I hope people who attended the event found it enriching. We were also able to garner significant interest among both local and expat Filipinos.
"I was pleasantly surprised to see the interest in filigree among the Thais. One particular lady showed keen interest to learn filigree, as she is already into jewellery. I told her I would be more than happy to share my knowledge with her.
"It would be wonderful to see Thais and Filipinos work together to not just revive the dying filigree tradition in their individual countries but help to make it fashionable again so it becomes mainstream."
For Manimbo, it was to steer the hearts of the Filipinos to safeguard their cultural heritage for the coming generations. "I feel the Thais have done a good job preserving their national heritage. The Thai Queen is such an inspiration in the way she continues to promote Thai silk, which is fashionable to this day. I hope to see Filipinos with the same gusto when it comes to preserving their own filigree and fabrics."
Oskar A. Atendido's eye-catching filigree jewellery.
