Habi launches Eloisa Hizon Gomez Abaca Competition to give the Manila hemp that much-needed push

The Eloisa Hizon Gomez Abaca Competition, a new competition organized by the Habi Philippine Textile Council, is named in honor of a famous Kapampangan who actively promoted the use of Filipino textiles. As part of the Likhang Habi Market Fair in October, this competition will highlight the resurgence of abaca cloth weaving and local weavers eager to showcase their creative prowess with the well-liked material.

Eloisa promotes the value of Filipino textile as a pillar of the Philippines’ cultural and historical legacy. This is why the driving force behind this competition is to restore and promote the abaca cloth weaving that the T’boli and other indigenous peoples of Mindanao practice.

To organize an abaca artisan competition, famed haute couture fashion designer Gang Gomez, now known as Dom Martin Gomez, OSB, Eloisa’s son, approached Habi with the idea. He suggested creating an abaca artisan competition, supported by his strong faith in the industry’s craftsmanship and his vision of the future of abaca.

It is a given fact that abaca is a major export from the Philippines, and the adaptability of the fiber is well recognized worldwide. It makes sense that new fiber applications should continuously be developed to make it applicable for all industries.

Abaca is important because it is the genuine Filipino weaving fiber. Filipinos were already wearing clothes made from abaca weaves when the Spanish colonizers arrived. —Gang Gomez

“Abaca is important because it is the genuine Filipino weaving fiber,” says Gomez. “Filipinos were already wearing clothes made from abaca weaves when the Spanish colonizers arrived. If we had only given abaca and its development as much attention as we have given piña, can you imagine how much progress could have been attained by now? With hope, this annual competition will give the abaca weaving industry that much-needed push!”

Nothing, according to Habi president Adelaide Lim, strengthens and develops an industry like a competition to spur our artisans’ creativity. This means that a competition supporting the use of abaca may be crucial to the growth and sustainability of the fashion sector and the motivation of extra weavers to carry on this long-standing tradition for the next generations.

The specifications for candidate eligibility are presented as the competition gets closer. Each contender entering the Eloisa Hizon Gomez Abaca Competition must submit a panel that is at least six meters long. Although no width restrictions have so far been mentioned, all entries must be made entirely of abaca and inspired by traditional patterns or weaving methods.

Each entry must include a title, a detailed description, and a photograph of the weaver at work on his or her piece. All submissions must be sent to the Habi office at 962 May Street, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila. Deadline for submissions is Sept. 30, 2022.

Three winners of the competition, each of whom will receive a ₱50,000, will be announced at the Likhang Market Fair to be held from Oct. 14 to 16. Should the participants agree, the submissions will be displayed as part of the fair and may be offered for sale. These items will be presented alongside entries from the Lourdes Montinola Piña Weaving Competition and will be part of the yearly showcase at the Habi Market Fair. —AJ Sison