13th Indigenous Fiber Fashion Fair Highlights

By Sean Rafio (@voguishmess)

Photos by Von Ramos (@von_ramos) and  RJ Juarez (@zerauj)

Iloilo’s First-Ever ‘New Normal’ Fashion Show was a huge success. The 13th Indigenous Fiber Fashion Fair showcased Region VI’s local fabrics in a “new normal” fashion show last September 18, 19, and 20, 2020 at SM City Iloilo.

The event followed strict sanitary measures to protect everyone’s safety. Face shields and face masks were strictly required. This is all under the Department of Tourism Region VI’s new tagline: ‘Safely Experience Western Visayas First’.

The three-day event started with Anyag. Paul Conte’s collection was casual and feminine as his denim-hablon jackets were paired with soft and flowy dresses; it was perfect for the everyday Ilongga. Jeff Ticao and Binky Pitogo are both masters of using local textiles in their garments, both did not disappoint their clientele as the two individual designers continue to innovate every collection they release.

The second day of the event was titled Hablon Moda, this time four talented designers presented their collections. The creations from Frietz Von Pamplona and Reuvien Palmes were chic and sophisticated designs, Fritz Caancan’s collection was fun and playful. But the show stopper of the event was Sir John Montinola’s collection; a cohesive collection of plains and prints accessorized with custom-made face masks and vegan handbags made from hablon.

The last day of the event was titled Preciosa, a makabayan-inspired collection by Matt Yeu captured the attention of the audience, a perfect collection to start the event. Kevin Hiballes’ collection was refreshing, his use of different shades of yellow with patadyong was pleasing to the eye. Jun-G Candelario ended the event with his elegant hablon collection, each garment had a matching face mask perfect for ‘new normal’ evening functions. The final piece of the collection was a golden hablon gown that captured everyone’s attention as supermodel Ria Bolivar pranced the runway.

The event was directed by Bombette Golez Marin, hair and make-up by John Montinola, and models from Iloilo Models Guild. The event was also partnered by Panublix, Daily Guardian, and municipalities from Oton, Badiangan, Miagao, and Dueñas.

Iloilo City’s first-ever ‘new normal’ fashion show was a huge success as it served its purpose— to boost local fashion designers and bring back the jobs of our local weavers and artisans as they stand against the COVID-19 pandemic.