Mindanao designers showcase indigenous patterns in Toronto runway
MANILA, Philippines – The creations of five designers from Cagayan de Oro were feted by Toronto audience in a fashion show dubbed, “Tela-Mindanao Fashion Festival Toronto,” held at the Julius Banquet Hall, Toronto on August 21.
The rising world class Filipino talents, which included designers Mimi Parrel Pimentel, Benjie Manuel, Gil Macaibay III, Mark Yaranon and Boogie Musni Rivera, took inspiration from indigenous patterns and accessories from Southern Philippines and used them to embellish contemporary daytime wear and evening gowns.
Philippine natural fabrics used by the designers included abaca, tinalak and Mindanao silk. Mindanao silks are hand-woven by the women of Mindanao as a means of livelihood.
Among the guests at the Fashion show were Philippine Ambassador to Canada Petronila Garcia, Philippine Consul General Rosalita Prospero and Consul Flerida Ann Camille Mayo. In her speech, Ambassador Garcia said that Mindanao silk epitomizes excellence in Filipino artistry and craftsmanship. The fabric is a story unto itself, interweaving challenges and opportunities, threaded through with determination and creativity to finally come up with a triumphant tapestry that is uniquely and genuinely Filipino.
The Ambassador added that “tela” is a distillation of the Philippine experience. Each of us may be likened to single strands of thread but by bringing the individual threads together, we can weave a strong societal fabric that is bigger than the sum of its parts.
The preservation and revival of the weaving industry in Mindanao is a demonstration of the Filipino “bayanihan” spirit, with different sectors working together to help sustain communities in that part of the country.
