How Filipino Traditional Clothes Are Made: Piña, Abacá and Handloom Weaving

Oct 3

2 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Before a barong is embroidered or a malong is worn, someone has to make the cloth. Many Filipino traditional clothes are made from local plant fibers using skills passed down for generations.

Piña: cloth from pineapple leaves

Piña is made from the fibers of pineapple leaves, scraped by hand, knotted thread by thread and woven into a sheer, delicate fabric. Aklan province is especially known for it. Piña is prized for formal barongs and Filipiniana gowns, and a single garment can take weeks of work.

Abacá: the strong one

Abacá comes from a banana relative native to the Philippines. Its fiber is strong and glossy. The T'boli of South Cotabato use it to weave t'nalak, tie-dyeing the threads before weaving so the pattern appears as the cloth grows.

Jusi and blends

Jusi is a lighter, more affordable sheer fabric used for many modern barongs. Today it is often a blend, which makes formalwear more accessible.

Handloom weaving

Across the country, weavers use backstrap looms and floor looms to make cloth like the Ilocano inabel, the Visayan patadyong and the Yakan weaves of Basilan. Each region has its own patterns and techniques.

How you can help

Buying directly from weaving communities and cooperatives keeps these skills alive. When brands borrow traditional patterns, the best practice is to collaborate with and credit the communities who created them.

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Our designs are built to send people back to these stories. Shop UGAT. UGAT means roots. Know yours.

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