Fifteen years in, the Likhang Habi Market Fair continues to thread together culture, creativity, and community. From October 10 to 12, 2025, the Fair returns at the SPACE Events Hall, One Ayala in Makati City, once the site of the iconic Hotel Intercontinental Manila.
What began in 2009 as a small gathering of weaving advocates has blossomed into a nationwide movement. This year, close to a hundred artisans and weavers from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will bring their looms, artistry, and stories to the city. Each piece is a conversation between heritage and modernity.
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The Art and Legacy of the Filipino Weave
Themed Sining ng Tela: The Art and Legacy of Philippine Textiles, this year’s Fair, the flagship program of HABI: The Philippine Textile Council, celebrates the people and practices behind the threads that define our identity.
HABI has always been more than a market. It is an advocacy platform where tradition meets innovation. With a new, more expansive venue, this year’s edition includes educational experiences through the HABI Lectures, a series of talks and panels on design, entrepreneurship, and building Filipino brands with purpose.
Guests can also look forward to cultural showcases, film screenings, and textile exhibitions featuring the finalists of the 8th Lourdes Montinola Piña Weaving Competition and the 4th Eloisa Hizon Gomez Abaca Weaving Competition. These events stand as testaments to the creativity and perseverance of the country’s weaving communities.
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“We want to give voice and value to the hands behind every woven creation,” says HABI Chairman Emeritus Maribel Ongpin. “The artistry of Filipino weavers deserves a national stage.”
Together with HABI President Emeritus Adelaida Lim and other weaving advocates, Ongpin founded the Council in 2009 to revive a craft that was then at risk of fading away. Fifteen years later, that vision has grown into a dynamic movement that continues to empower artisans and protect cultural heritage.
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The Hands That Weave
At the heart of this movement are women, the lifeblood of most weaving communities.
“The empowerment of women is an important advocacy of the HABI Council,” shares Adelaida Lim. “With better access to resources and education, weaving evolves from being a household chore into a sustainable livelihood that preserves culture and dignity.”
By connecting artisans directly with buyers, designers, and industry partners, the Likhang Habi Market Fair creates more than transactions. It builds relationships. Every fabric, color, and motif becomes a bridge between maker and user, tradition and innovation.
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A Marketplace for the Senses
This year’s Fair is set to be an immersive experience that blends market, learning, and cultural celebration. Expect a curated mix of handwoven textiles, garments, home décor, jewelry, and crafts, each reflecting the diversity of Filipino artistry.
“Because we’re in a new venue, we want our visitors to have a richer experience this year,” says HABI President Mia Villanueva. “Guests can explore a full range of indigenous weaves and take breaks from shopping by learning something new from the HABI Lecture Series, or savor regional delicacies from culinary artisans like Chef Sau Del Rosario at our lounge and dining area.”
The Fair’s welcoming atmosphere encourages guests to slow down, to touch, listen, and learn. In a world dominated by mass production, HABI offers something beautifully rare: the human connection behind every thread.
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Woven Futures
As the Likhang Habi Market Fair celebrates its 15th year, it stands as living proof that heritage, when nurtured, does not merely survive. It thrives. The event continues to create opportunities for growth, empowerment, and creative collaboration, ensuring that every loom, pattern, and story remains part of our shared cultural fabric.
More than just a market, Likhang Habi is a celebration of who we are and what we choose to carry forward, one weave, one story, one generation at a time.
For more information, visit www.habiphilippinetextilecouncil.com.
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