Once upon a time, the terno, barong tagalog, and other Filipiniana pieces were dedicated to be worn only for formal events. The terno, specifically, almost went out of style. But through the modern visions of designers and brands, the butterfly sleeves and the overall sense of wearing local traditional pieces made a comeback. Now, we see them everywhere with a younger crowd putting their own spin on the classic pieces. What we don’t know more about them are the stories of the artisans whose passion and talent have kept the art of making Filipinianas alive.
That is the core of “Segunda Pulo,” which means “second island” in English, a short film led by Seth and Mary Gagahina of The Carrot Brand production house, together with local brand Terno by The Culture Group. The 25-minute documentary goes through the tedious process of creating a terno and barong tagalog, from the making of the textile to how these woven fabrics are decorated with distinct Filipino embroidery.
“The main goal of ‘Segunda Pulo’ is to showcase the Filipino heritage through the artisans’ hands, for the world to see how rich our Filipino culture and traditions are,” Seth tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “We want to show to the world how beautiful our own traditional clothes are, the delicate process of creating such a beautiful piece, and to preserve the beauty of our traditional clothes.”
The Gagahina sisters, Seth and Mary together with H.E. Ambassador of the Philippines to the UAE Alfonso Ferdinand Ver at the red carpet of 'Segunda Pulo' premiere screening held in Paramount Hotel Dubai
Like many production houses, The Carrot Brand is founded by a dream. Sister Seth and Mary have always been in love with the beauty and wonder of filmmaking, documentary style in particular. During the pandemic, the two took a leap of faith and made their dream come true as they establish The Carrot Brand.
“I believe our minds can create such beautiful things, and doing documentary is my way of cultivating and preserving the beauty of art and humanity,” Seth says. “We are here to help our brand partners share their stories to the world.”
One of their first agenda is to document the journey of Terno by The Culture Group. Founded by Babyblyn Buchan and Kristin Van Der Westhuizen in November 2022, the brand is on a mission to make ternos, barong tagalogs, and kimonas accessible to all Filipinos living across the Middle East. According to Seth, the brand is “not just about clothing but a representation of the Philippines' heritage, history, and culture.” To highlight that, the brand collaborated with the production house to spotlight the stories of the people who made them and the materials they use. The filming took place in February this year. Seth and her team made their way to the Philippines and visited Caliraya Lake in Laguna where they met some of the artisans.
Filipino artisans featured in 'Segunda Pulo'
“We planned the storyboard/shot list ahead of time before flying to the Philippines, as we have limited time,” Seth explains. “Our team is composed of our producer Chel Oblea and our director of photography Joshua Del Rosario, together with Babylyn. We filmed the documentary for a full day.”
Filming a documentary in just one day comes with a set of challenges. The Carrot Brand team has to work with the changing weather, interview the artisans, and follow their schedule religiously as they need to capture other locations.
“I will never forget when we were almost done with our shoot and I stepped onto a nail,” the director shares. “We also took a boat ride to cross Caliraya Lake to complete our documentary shoot. I guess, I was really trained well by my mentor, Prof. Robert Mano, in handling unexpected circumstances during the shoot. I really look up to him. We finished the shoot around 9 p.m.”
Local artisan adding Calado embroidery to piña textile
What Seth finds most inspiring in the process of making the documentary is witnessing how a single garment is made by different hands. According to her, the process involves eight stages. Her favorite part is when the piña textile is designed with the Calado, a traditional method used by Filipino embroiderers in decorating fabric with open thread work patterns to produce intricate lace-like designs.
“Spending a day with our local artisans sparked a fire within us to share of their stories more with the world,” Seth muses. “The most beautiful part of filming ‘Segunda Pulo’ is seeing how determined these artisans are. You can see their dedication, perseverance, and how much they love what they do in their eyes.”
Last May 27, “Segunda Pulo” premiered at the Paramount Hotel in Dubai. Among the first to see the documentary were H.E. Ambassador of the Philippines to the UAE Alfonso Ferdinand Ver and other officials of the Philippines Consulate General Dubai, as well as delegates from the UAE and different countries.
“It’s with great honor and happiness to produce a beautiful documentary with my team,” Seth says. “‘Segunda Pulo’ is just the start for us in creating more documentaries to preserve not just our culture but also to pass down our traditions to the next generations.”
Currently, Seth and her team are planning to showcase “Segunda Pulo” in the Philippines this coming September. To know more about it, visit @thecarrotbrand on Instagram.
Hello, readers! Do you have a story you want us to feature? Send us a message on Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter and let’s talk about it.