LIKHANG HABI: WEAVERS OF DREAMS

Is the centuries-old art of weaving in the Philippines hanging by a thread?

- CHING M. ALANO

We're not spinning a yarn when we say that weaving in the country is alive and humming, and each day, our weavers bring new threads of hopes and dreams. Because for the Likhang Habi Market Fair, now in its 15th year, the loom of life never stops, and we're all connected like one interwoven tapestry.

"The Likhang Habi Market Fair is that one weekend each year when the weaving communities bring out the best products they have created, using natural and indigenous materials, and the latest techniques they have developed — methods that will become part of our weaving culture, our history, and our identity as a nation," says Likhang Habi president Mia Villanueva at the fair's launch.

FROM A DYING TO A THRIVING INDUSTRY

In over a decade, the fair's continued success has strengthened what was once a dying industry but is now enjoying a surge in popularity never seen before. For one thing, the fair has moved to a bigger venue — Space at One Ayala (where Hotel InterContinental Manila used to stand), a sprawling area with multiple function rooms to accommodate more vendors and guests.