The humble, yet striking, handwoven cloth made by the women of Sulu has received praise from Filipino designer Ann Ong, whose eye for fashion pieces and jewelry is known internationally.
Catching Ong's attention was the "pis syabit", samples of which was brought to her by Kusug Tausug Party-list Rep. Shernee Tan-Tambut.
A statement from Tan-Tambut's office Friday, Feb. 25, bared that the solon recently met with Ong in efforts to come up with plans to promote Sulu’s pis syabit and Tausug culture in general along with other Philippine designs.
At the meeting attended by Ong; her husband, Jason; and their son, John--also a designer and digital marketing expert--they discussed how pis syabit may be promoted first "in New York and later in other fashion capitals of the world".
Inspecting the pis syabit samples that Tan-Tambut showed her, Ong and her son agreed with the congresswoman that the Sulu cloth has much potential especially in the "international market".
Pis syabit is made of cotton and/or silk, with metallic gold threads sometimes incorporated in the weave. It used to be worn by Tausug men during very special occasions as a headdress or a décor hung on one’s shoulder to indicate their high social status.
In modern times, the pis syabit has been used as the main material or accent for clothes and are also used to make fashion accessories. Being woven by Muslims, it only has geometrical patterns because Islam forbids reproducing the likeness of living things, whether human, flora or fauna.
Tan-Tambut has been actively promoting this cloth and other Sulu products since her first term as party-list solon in the House of Representatives. Wearing a pis syabit-accented modern terno at the 2016 State of the Nation Address (SONA), she was named "one of the ten best dressed ladies who attended the occasion".
The lady lawmaker, who is a vice chairperson of the House Committee on Poverty Alleviation, enumerated the benefits of buying locally-made clothes.
“One, it boosts our economy because the money paid for the clothes go to the local designers and their helpers, the local dressmakers and the retailers. That is true for Philippine-made RTW (ready to wear) as well as for exclusively-designed clothes. Two, we have very good designers; they are starting to get noticed by the world, so for those who go for designer clothes, why not be the proud owner of an exquisite Filipino design?"
She continued: "Three, and this is specific for the pis syabit, every piece is an original art work, so anyone who has a pis syabit adorning his/her clothes is assured of ownership of an original piece of art that evokes the history and artistry of the Tausugs. And most importantly, for every pis syabit bought, one family in Sulu is one step closer to getting out of poverty.”
Ong is described on her website as an "internationally-acclaimed multi-awarded high fashion jewelry designer, visionary and creator".
"She (Ong) pursued the path to design way back 2012. She knew her pieces would always be rooted for two qualities, sustainability and artistry," it added.