East Gate by Taft Properties recently opened an exhibit showcasing the best of Cebuano artistry featuring designs by fashion designer and champion of sustainable clothing and hablon weaving, Dexter Alazas. The Prelude to Summer 2021 fashion and lifestyle exhibit at the Taft East Gate showroom kicked off with an intimate fashion show event dubbed, “Hablonuevo”, which presented the haute couture collection from Alazas Atelier using hablon and donned by models of Admire Model Agency.
Fashion designer Dexter Alazas (third from left), together with Taft Properties representatives and models from Admire Model Agency.
Hablonuevo: A story of the Cebuano’s strength, versatility, and revival
Alazas discovered hablon in the early 2000 in his quest to find a truly Cebuano fabric to be used in a fashion show. Hablon, is derived from the Visayan term for habol or blanket and is produced with local fibres such as piña, cotton, and abaca. Being the first Cebuano designer to use hablon fabric in his designs, Alazas has been instrumental in the revival of the hablon industry in Argao, Cebu.
The Prelude to Summer 2021 fashion and lifestyle exhibit will run until March 25, 2021, at the retail strip of the Taft East Gate showroom in Cardinal Rosales corner Pope John Paul II Avenue, Mabolo, Cebu City.
Considered a sunset industry, the centuries-old traditional art of hablon (the term for the weaving process and the finished fabric) has gained recognition for its versatility in recent years.
Alazas shares that the plan for the Hablonuevo collection, a brand identity he coined, is to expand into a complete home line collection – incorporating the hablon fabric into everyday home essentials such as bedsheets and pillowcases among others.
Colorful textiles, apparel and handcrafted works by Dexter Alazas.
Taft Properties: Forging partnerships with Cebuano artists
The Prelude to Summer 2021 lifestyle exhibit is a testament to Taft Properties’ commitment to support local and to collaborate with exemplary Cebuano talents to deliver the best products to the Cebuano and the global market.
A home-grown brand and backed by the company behind the Metro Gaisano retail stores, Taft East Gate development is a master-planned community of mixed residential and commercial buildings and offers world-class amenities at a strategic location – attuned to the modern Cebuano lifestyle.
Alaza’s black column dress featuring an image of the Cebuano devotion to the Santo Niño hand-painted by visual artist Celso Pepito.
True to form, the Hablonuevo collection featured in the ongoing exhibit is also a result of collaborative work between Cebuano artists. Alazas’s gowns became canvases for member artists of Cebu Artists, Inc. (CAI) – a black column dress features an image of the Cebuano devotion to the Santo Niño hand-painted by visual artist, Celso Pepito.
Read more: Empowering Cebuano creatives in the art of weaving at Hablonuevo, the Fashion Show
A year into a global pandemic that stunted most of growth and development to economies, the Prelude to Summer 2021 exhibit at the Taft East Gate in Mabolo is not only a celebration of Cebuano creativity, but a reminder that with talent and collaboration, the Cebuano will prevail – certainly a breath of fresh air and a positive outlook in these trying times.
The Prelude to Summer 2021 fashion and lifestyle exhibit will run until March 25, 2021, at the retail strip of the Taft East Gate showroom in Cardinal Rosales corner Pope John Paul II Avenue, Mabolo, Cebu City.
About East Gate by Taft Properties – A premier address located right in the heart of Cebu Business Park, East Gate is Taft Properties’ embodiment of a community that carries the best aspects of the company’s MicroTownship concept- the standard which ensures that Taft’s projects are placed only on transit-oriented and strategic locations. East Gate’s four towers comprising of condominiums, offices and a hotel are anchored by East Gate Mall. On top of the mall podium is the Sky Plaza, an expansive amenity overlooking Cebu City.
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