Designing from One's Roots

I have an affinity for the province of Ilocos, not only because the Ilocano blood runs through my veins, and because I lived there until I was 6 years old, until I had to attend school in the city. The region has become a significant place during my formative years. I still remember the basket of mangoes that my Inang and Tita Fely would keep away from me because, according to them, I loved mangoes so much they couldn't stop me from eating. I still remember the old lady who lived across the street who'd welcome me every morning to play in her house. I remember going out with my older female cousins in the afternoon to the fields to catch beetles. They would carry me on their back being their "bunso" (an affectionate term for "youngest"). I remember pretending to be asleep when it's time for my afternoon nap, because I was afraid that my Inang will give me a spanking, if she found out that I was awake. 

Both of my parents were born in Ilocos Norte, one of the northern provinces in the Philippines.  Although my siblings and I were raised in  Metro Manila for most of our lives, we grew up in a household that introduced us to the culture of the Ilocanos. Before my grandmother migrated to Hawaii, we used to travel back and forth from the city to the province, especially during summer. In the following years, when my grandmother lived in Hawaii, our Tita Fely would bring us to Ilocos Norte. Most of my childhood years were spent there. 

We were first introduced to the Abel handwoven cloth in the form of a blanket,  a common use for the Abel cloth in an Ilocano household. We had a variety of Abel blankets of different  designs. I loved the material so much that during a lone travel in the province, I went out to find souvenirs made of Abel to bring home to the city. A few years later, I became acquainted with the fabric  as a fashionable bag during my travel to Ilocos in 2001. The bag had a black and white checkered pattern, which I gave as a present to my good friend who is now living in the United States. 

Not knowing that I'd pursue a career as an entrepreneur and designer, my fascination for this locally handwoven cloth has kept me wanting to incorporate this traditional material into our designs. A part of my vision for Palamuti is to use local and homegrown materials that represent the story of my country. Through the years, I have been experimenting on how to make use and elevate the Abel into my costume jewelry designs. This year, I've decided to focus on bead embroidery, and experimented on combining the hand loomed fabric with hand stitched designs. It was imperative that both elements complemented one another because the Abel fabric was a beautiful cloth on its own; especially those with silver and gold thread accents. We couldn't bead on the fabric itself, since it spoiled the Abel's natural beauty. Finally, I decided to use the Abel in place of the chiffon fabric that we use to attach a bead embroidered necklace. 

This new improved merging of two elements and techniques represents our "Nagapwa" Collection. Last year, we released a "Nagapwa" collection, although we only used basic linking and stringing instead of bead embroidery. This year, after several attempts, "Nagapwa" Collection truly represents both me as a bead embroidery artisan-designer and a child of Ilocos Norte Philippines. 

Keeping it real. - PJV