While window shopping in the Philippines during my recent visit, I came across this piece of material. I wasn’t sure what it was. Upon feeling the fiber, I knew it had to be something that would take me years back to elementary school. Looking at the tag and the information gathered from the saleslady, confirmed what I was thinking of.

Packing it in my suitcase was a very careful process…..being careful not to mess up this delicate piece of clothing material.

The wrap is made of abaca fiber and silk yarn.

What is abaca? Well, it is a species of the banana family of plants native to the Philippines. It is also called Manila hemp. Its leaf sheath(abaca stalk) is harvested mainly for its fiber, which is a very sturdy, strong and durable kind of fiber. In fact, it’s the strongest of all the natural fibers.

There are quite a variety of uses for this abaca fiber. You’ve probably seen them in clothing/textile as in this wrap or shawl, carpets, paper, decorative artworks, twines, ropes, tea bags, purses, hats, hammocks, and even furniture.

Abaca cloth can also be found in museum exhibits in some of the world’s notable museums. It has been worn in fashion shows as fashion designers integrate this fiber with modern twist.

Anyway, I just love the inconsistency of the material as it adds to its natural aesthetic appeal for a Filipiniana look. To think that this is handwoven, it just adds more allure to it.

The silk used here with the abaca fiber was extruded from domesticated silkworm. It is such an intricate process all done manually.

I’ve got so much appreciation for the handiwork that was involved in producing such a beauty from the extraction of fiber to hand loom weaving.

Just a little interesting piece of history here: The earliest known fact about abaca fiber is from 1521 when Magellan landed in the Philippines. The native Filipinos were already cultivating and utilizing this textile by then. (By the way, Ferdinand Magellan is credited for discovering the Philippines in 1521).

Source: Wikipedia