From an ordinary tropical plant well-known for its fresh aroma and unique flavor it adds to cooking, we can now view pandan in a whole new light as an eco-chic fabric thanks to an inquisitive high school student, Elson Ian Galang. In his search for other uses of the pandan plant growing abundantly in their backyard, he tried to manually scrape off the leaves to extract the fibers which led to his idea of developing a new high-quality indigenous fiber.

More than just creating a trend, the recently concluded fashion event dubbed as “Bagong Habi, Salinlahi: Cutting-edge Philippine Textiles” launched a new generation of Philippine fashion that is bound to help revive the once glorious and prolific textile industry in the Philippines. This event, held at the InterContinental Manila last February 8, signaled a new direction of Philippine fashion towards a more eco-chic, culturally relevant, and mutually benefitting cause.

Pushed aside into the sidelines, the Philippine fashion has garnered an undeserved staid reputation while western styles, in stark contrast to the lavish cultural and traditional style of ethnic tribes in the country, dominated the Philippine fashion scene. Viewed as two conflicting entities, fashion and local culture is naturally considered a peculiar combination. To negate this misconception, a grand and timely event dubbed as Bagong Habi, Salinlahi: Cutting-edge Philippine Textiles is here to redefine and set the standard for world class authentic Philippine fashion. It will mark the historic unveiling of fresh, modern, and exciting fashion pieces that is bound to revive the once glorious and prolific textile and garment industry in the country.