The Swiss say yes to Nono Palmos

MANILA, Philippines - Little is known about the handwoven fabric of the shy Gaddang — a northern highland tribe that inhabits the Cordilleras in a territory straddling the provinces of Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya. In his recent show in Switzerland, designer Nono Palmos brought to light the stunning beauty of the Gaddang cloth and three other major Filipino handwoven fabrics to overjoyed Filipino and Swiss audiences in Zurich and Geneva.

The fashion event, entitled “Filipineo: Philippine Indigenous Fabrics in Neo Filipiniana Fashion” was presented through the cooperation between the Philippine Embassy in Berne — under the leadership of Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Maria Theresa Lazaro — and the Filipino-Swiss communities in Zurich and Geneva.

“For ‘Filipineo,’ I used the most outstanding and the rarest fabrics from each of the four ethnic regions to present the most exquisite samples of luxury in Filipino fabric design,” Nono explains.

Nono showed the rich weaving culture of the Philippines by using — apart from the rare Gaddang weave — three other indigenous weaves, namely, the precious fabric of the Yakan to stand for the mystical southern tribal Filipinos, the Ilonggo patadyong to represent the rural lowland Christians, and piña from Aklan to embody the elegance of urban Hispanic Filipinos.

“The Gaddangs believe that spirits could inhabit textiles so they created intricate weaving styles to trap or ward off spirits. The intriguing techniques the Gaddang weavers use make the fabric rare and valuable,” the designer reveals. The Gaddangs embellish their weaves with knotted selvages and seams, floating warps, and complementary wefts to produce the sought-after striped fabric.

In southern Mindanao, on the other hand, the Yakans have been practicing the art of weaving on the island of Basilan for centuries. “Yakan women are highly regarded as the most creative weavers in Mindanao” says Nono. The designer was especially attracted to the zoomorphic designs and motifs used by the Yakans.

As a tribute to his home province of Iloilo, Nono also used the versatile patadyong. “The patadyong is really a representation of the ingenuity of early Ilonggo weavers. Its uses are endless because the tubular design is so practical and allows the fabric to be transformed into various forms,” he says. To show the Swiss audience the Filipino version of luxury, Nono turned to the inherent elegance of the piña cloth. Historical records suggest that Kalibo’s piña cloth reached as far as Greece and Egypt at the height of the textile trade in the Visayas.

These fabrics were the designer’s tools in creating the clothes in “Filipineo.” But far from creating mere re-inventions of age-old Filipino styles of clothing, Nono presented a new fashion aesthetic and sensibility in “Filipineo” — one that celebrates the luxury of the aforementioned fabrics by using them in decidedly Western designs.

Nono combined the dichotomy of traditional and modern by restructuring time-honored Filipino patterns into new daring styles. He reinvented the pañuelo into exaggerated collars that frame neck and face, or by re-fashioning them into architectural bolero jackets and yokes.

In the men’s wear, his most outstanding innovation is incorporating tribal patterns, notably the diamond-patterned kabang buddi of Yakan weaving, as geometrical embroidery on elegant formal jackets made of piña — aptly called “coat barong.” Pants for men are slimmer, with silhouettes that are cut closer to the legs.

Nono hopes that his shows in the two Swiss cities can raise awareness for the intrinsic beauty and versatility of our homegrown fabrics. Says Nono, “I feel happy at the very warm reception ‘Filipineo’ received in Switzerland — that Philippine fashion was greatly appreciated in a country that has itself a long tradition of textile design and manufacture.”

Aurorita Hunziker was project coordinator of “Filipineo” in Zurich. Models’ management was provided by Alicia Ruch, Lannie Knab and Tina Heiter. Acting as stage managers were Grace Meier, Ariel Gabriel and Benz Adriano. “Filipineo” was directed by Chi Narvaez. Jewelry was designed by Arnel Papa.