Filipiniana is Forever

Foreword for Kasuotan / 30 August 2018

By Patis Pamintuan Tesoro, Filipiniana Textile Artist & Dressmaker

Filipiniana is forever, just like diamonds. DeBeers struck gold when they came up with the slogan of the century. If you think about it, Filipiniana and diamonds have a lot in common, as they are both precious and timeless. From ancient textiles to their modern replicas, creativity is handed down through generations, ensuring the continuous livelihood of the many craftspeople with whom our nation is blessed.

Throughout my career as a textile artist, I have consistently used handmade materials, which is partly due to the shared environment of my youth. My mother Nena Fabella Pamintuan was a dressmaker who sent me to Assumption Convent in Iloilo, where I learned the fine art of hand embroidery. In Lourdes R. Montinola’s trailbrazing tome, Piña (1991), she recounts how the local textile industry flourished under Spanish rule thanks to our endemic skills of weaving and embellishment, which were further honed in the beaterios.

Clothes not only define a person but also a nation’s identity. If Filipiniana is forever, then we must look back to our colonial past when we fought to wear our own, despite the availability of foreign alternatives. On the other hand, if not for our history, we would dress more similarly to our South East Asian neighbours: in malongs, kebayas, and conical hats. Elegance is a quality intrinsic to Filipiniana, and especially apparent in piña. When one walks into a room decked out in ‘transparent finesse’, people immediately recognize what is undeniably Filipino. Having said that, every Filipina should have in her closet any one of the following: a barong, a malong, a tapis, a terno, a baro’t saya, a kimona, or a Maria Clara. The definition of being Filipino is not only seen in dance, architecture, or literature, it is especially seen in dress, as it is the most practical way of showing one’s identity, which provides a unique place in global society.

History defined us, as we are now defining history, through “the continuous revival of Filipiniana livelihood, arts and crafts” which was the battlecry of our Katutubong Filipino Foundation, established with First Lady Ming Ramos. Wearing Filipiniana has come a long way from the time Ado Escudero rounded up his friends to form the Patrones de Casa Manila, who donned their choice ensembles for the living museum and rigodons in Intramuros. Today, an increasing number of local and balikbayan start-ups are developing trendy innovations with artisans from all over the country. These young enterprises are merging the past with the present by providing more casual homegrown apparel, better suited to the fast paced world we now inhabit. Filipiniana metamorphosis means wearing Filipino fashion that suits the environment, the times, and the culture of the moment.

Women have always been the movers and shakers of the textile and fashion industries. When we were once its weavers and embroiderers, we are now also its social entrepreneurs and ardent ambassadors.

Thank you for being leaders influential to the wearing of Filipiniana as it should be worn today. Our work in revival will never be done. We must keep convincing our youth that investing in an heirloom Filipiniana piece is so much more meaningful than repeatedly buying the latest gadget. In these austere times, heirlooms should all the more be treasured as they are culture bearers for generations to come. We must also advocate that home economics be more than just an elective in our school system so that native arts and crafts will be indigenised once again. This is how history will define us.

Diamonds are precious and timeless, and so should Filipiniana be forever.