Hablon Weaving: The Endangered Art
Weaving was pre-colonial Iloilo’s economy’s driver. Centuries later, the province struggles to preserve the rich tradition.
Weaving was the economy’s driver in pre-Spanish Iloilo.
Towards the end of the 18th century, large-scale weaving made the province the textile capital with hand-loomed products exported to Manila and abroad. Hablon also shows great potentials in the global market for textiles, next to the old-time favorite, piña and jusi. The weaving industry in Miagao boasts of a long history that date back to the later part of the Spanish era, and was formerly known as “habol” or “hinabol” made only of fibrous natural materials.
Although efforts were made by the Department of Tourism to revive this Iloilo heritage in the early 1990’s, it was in 2001 that brought Hablon back to the limelight. The revival of Hablon caught the attention of local fashion designers, who have developed a distinct couture out of Hablon, that has made its way into several fashion houses in the United States, Singapore, Hongkong, and the United Kingdom.
