Indigo Mangyan Tribal Cotton- Shade
Medium/Heavy weight: suitable for jackets, trousers, skirts & some home applications.
Handmade by the indigenous Mangyan people of the Philippines. These textiles are woven on a traditional backstrap loom, which is a very simple loom you can attach to your house walls or even a tree. They are still used widely in the Mangyan villages as clothing and for carrying babies, the patterns are traditional and date back hundreds of years to when the Mangyan people were coastal dwelling- the rows of white and blue are said to be reminiscent of the sequence of waves arriving. Handa founder Hannah grew up in a Mangyan village and works directly with the women there to obtain this special and rare textile.
23”wide and sold by the 1/2 yard. Orders larger than a 1/2 will be continuous, though the maximum length in a continuous piece is 3 yards (orders over 3 yards will be in separate lengths and cannot be a guaranteed exact match to the first as the weavers vary) .
Fabric has selvedge edge on long sides and the stripes run the length.
Variation in color and pattern will occur from the hand-dying process and the hand of the weaver.
Wash separately, as the indigo will bleed. Do not soak, machine washable and dryer friendly, but use gentle soaps and cold settings.
Purchase a sample to check the color and weight
100% cotton
The Mangyan are one of the indigenous people groups of the Philippines, they originally were the only inhabitants of Mindoro Island and lived along the coast, where the traditional textile patterns were inspired and designed.
With the influx of foreign settlers such as the Spanish and Tagalog, and raids by the Moro, the the famously pacifist Mangyan people have been gradually pushed into the interior mountains of Mindoro where they currently live in smaller subsistence farming communities. Interestingly the Mangyan are a matriarchal society and the textile making is handled exclusively by women who have become mothers. Learning the craft is a right of passage in the community. The Mangyan are made up of 8 people groups that have varying customs and language as well as living generally in separate communities. The groups that primarily work with Handa are the Hanunoo and the Buhid as they are historically the cotton weavers.
Handa intentionally built this textile partnership with the Mangyan community, most aspects of the management, quality control, book keeping and shipping are Mangyan led and most of the design is handled by Mangyan artists.
Founder, Hannah Haworth spent 10 years living with the Buhid Mangyan people and is deeply grateful to have this unique opportunity to be able to return some of their kindness and hospitality through Handa. Her aim is to help provide additional income for these women and create a global awareness and appreciation for their expertly executed craft.
