ORNAMENT, TEXTILE, OR

FIBER ART
 ORNAMENT, TEXTILE, OR FIBER ART

• Ornament, textile, or fiber art includes a variety of fields, ranging from hat-making, mask-
making, accessory-making, to ornamental metal crafts, and many others.
• Glass art
• Hat-making, mask-making, and related arts
• Ornamental metal crafts
 GLASS ART
• Glass art is an old art of Stained glasses have
been in place in many churches in the country
since Spanish occupation. Initially, European
craft folks managed the production of stained
glasses in the country, but later on, Filipino
Marian depictions at the Manila Cathedral
craft folks also entered the scene, notably
since the 20th century.

Zadkiel at Samar church

 HAT-MAKING

• Hat-making is a fine art in many communities

throughout the country, with the gourd-based
tabungaw of Abra and Ilocos being one of the
most prized. Indigenous Filipino hats were
widely used in the daily lives of the people
until the 20th century when they were replaced
by Western-style hats. They are currently worn
during certain occasions, such as festivals,
rituals, or in theatre.
 MASK-MAKING

• The art of mask creation is both an

indigenous and imported tradition, as certain
communities have mask-making practices
prior to colonization, while some mask-
making traditions were introduced through
trade from parts of Asia and the West. Today,
these masks are worn mostly during
festivals, Moriones Festival, and MassKara
Festival (Bacolod City).
 RELATED ART IS PUPPET-MAKING

• Which is notable for its products used in

theater plays and festivals such as
the Higantes Festival. Most indigenous
masks are made of wood, where these works
of art are almost always rudimentary as they
represent beings outside basic human
comprehension.
 ACCESSORY-MAKING

• Accessories in the Philippines are almost

always worn with their respective
combination of garments, with some being
used as accessories for houses, altars, and
other objects. Among the more than a
hundred ethnic groups in the Philippines, the
most accessorized is possibly the Kalinga
people.  
 ACCESSORY-MAKING

• The Gaddang people also exhibit a very accessorized

culture. The most famous accessories utilized by
numerous ethnic groups in the Philippines are omege-
shaped fertility objects called a lingling-o, which are used
from the northern islands of Batanes to the southern
islands of Palawan. The oldest lingling-o currently known
is dated at 500 BC and is made of nephrite jade. Shells
have traditionally been used as fine mediums for
accessories in the Philippines as well
 ORNAMENTAL METAL
CRAFTS
• Ornamental metal crafts are metal-based products that are
specifically used to beautify something else, which may
or may not be made of metal. They are prized in many
communities in the Philippines, where possibly the most
sought after are those made by the Maranao, specifically
from Tugaya, Lanao del Sur.
 ORNAMENTAL METAL
CRAFTS
• Metal crafts of the Moro people have been made to
decorate a variety of objects, where all are imbibed with
the traditional okir motif.  Numerous metal crafts are also
utilized to design and give emphasis to religious objects
such as altars, Christian statues, and clothing, among
many other things.
 PHILIPPINE TEXTILES AND
FABRICS THAT ARE MORE
SUSTAINABLE THAN COTTON
• Cotton is a cheap fabric but at the same time durable,
breathable, hypoallergenic, and easy to care for. Most
garments and fabrics are made with cotton in some way.
• Until recently, we never had a problem with cotton. Or,
so we thought. A huge number of issues surrounding
cotton farming have come to light. And they are too big
to ignore. Here’s the reality:
 COTTON IS A THIRSTY CROP.

• Did you know that 2,700 liters of water is used to produce

cotton for a single t-shirt? When cotton farms are forced in
areas that don’t get enough rain, rivers are diverted for
irrigation. Such is the devastating fate of the Aral Sea, the
world’s 4th largest lake now reduced to parched land.
Hundreds of flora and fauna species are left thirsty.
 USE OF TOXIC PESTICIDES IS PREVALENT.

• Regular cotton is usually a monocrop. This monoculture invites all sorts of pests,
insects and fungi into the farms. So, cotton farmers resort to herbicides and
pesticides to protect their crops. Because that doesn’t always work, farmers are
using genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The toxic chemicals remain in
the farmland dust. And 43 million tons of this deadly dust are blown into the air
each year, which is associated with cancer mortality. Not to mention, the animals
living within the parameter are exposed to the chemical aftermath.
 SLAVE-LABOR IS STILL BEING USED.

• Even now with cotton-picking machines, 

slaves are still used in many stages of making cotton. While there are regulations prohibiting
this practice in the U.S. and Europe, fashion companies that outsource their cotton fabrics
are not held accountable for slave-labor practices in the international stages of their
production. 
• Cotton leaves and branches often clog the machines and cause them to break down. So
cotton harvesting still requires physical labor. In some cases, farmers use defoliants to kill
off the unwanted plant matter. The chemical makes harvesting easier for machines, but they
are extremely toxic.
 SOIL DEGRADATION.

• Sometimes farmers would pull out cotton plants to get rid of any eggs
or spores from the field. When soil is exposed to the air, it loses
nutrients. So fertilizers are added to the soil. Nitrogen is the most
common ingredient in synthetic fertilizer. Problem is nitrogen
fertilizers are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
 GOVERNMENTS ENCOURAGE COTTON
FARMING.
• The industry gets billions of dollars in subsidies. This makes changing the status quo a difficult
feat.
• The industry continues to invest in research and technology on improving cotton farming
techniques and fertilizer efficiency. In fact, U.S. producers have reported 
30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 1980.
• To further minimize the environmental effects of our global clothing industry, we can look to
alternative crops to make sustainable fabric. Many of these can be found in our own beautiful
island group. The Philippines has fantastic fabrics and textiles made from homegrown crops. Its
weaving industry, in particular, showcases the richness and exuberance of its cultural heritage.
 LOCAL TEXTILES AND FABRICS

• Piña fabric
• Abaca
• Jusi
 PIÑA FABRIC
• Dubbed as the Queen of Philippines textiles, piña fabric
is often used in making the country’s national costumes,
i.e. barong and terno.
• It’s largely produced in Kalibo, Aklan,  where
communities of indigenous weavers still use traditional
weaving and dyeing techniques to this day. The time-
honored tradition was nominated by the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts to the UNESCO
Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2018.
• Piña cloth is prized locally and internationally for its
luxurious sheerness and durability. It comes in different
varieties such as piña seda (woven with silk) and piña jusi
(woven with abaca). Piña silk is popular among the
Philippine elite as well as high fashion producers in North
America and Europe.
 ABACA
• Earlier Visayan textiles were traditionally
made from hemp materials. This comes
from the abaca plant, also known as Manila
hemp. It is a wild banana species that
doesn’t bear edible fruit but produces a
strong fiber.
• Abaca cloth is produced in many regions in
the Philippines. But the T’boli tribe of
Southern Mindanao is most popular for their
artistry and special hand-woven abaca fabric
called Nalak.
 JUSI

• Jusi is the lovechild of abaca and piña fibers. Still sheer

but made with a stronger and tighter weave.  When
woven along with locally grown silk threads, cotton, and
rayon, jusi fibers make the iconic Hablon textile.
• Hablon is the fast-rising star of Philippine textiles. It is
currently making waves in local and international haute
couture. Though, traditionally, it is used for products such
as the colorful, checkered patadyong skirt and bandanas.