Preparations for 1st Silk Fashion Show underway
by Susan Aro
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet (2 October) -- The silk fiber from the province's produce will be showcased through the first of a kind Silk Fashion Show, and be modeled by provincial and municipal officials and other selected students to promote the use of raw silk of Benguet.
This awaited event is slated November 23, 2006 at 6:30 pm at the Benguet State University (BSU) closed gym in line with the celebration of the Adivay Festival side by side with the Benguet Foundation Day.
A prelude to the Silk Fashion Show would be the evolution of the Benguet costume from the primitive times to date.
Provincial Tourism Operations Officer Clarita Prudencio said the fashion show under the auspices of the provincial government, Fiber Industry Development Authority - Benguet (FIDA) and Sericulture Research Development Institute (SRDI) in Bacnotan, La Union will feature silk in its pure form or blended with other fibers with ethnic or contemporary designs that will depict the uniqueness of Benguet.
Other sponsors are the BSU, Philippine Textile Research Institute, Benguet Provincial Tourism Council and the Benguet Silkworm Growers.
An event coordinator, the Heaven's Touch Planners and Coordinators, was hired to orchestrate the activity.
The one hour show will feature casual wear, semi-formal and formal attires capped by the presentation of wedding gowns. Highlighting the event would be a complete wedding entourage to be modeled by people from Kapangan to be led by Mayor Rogelio Leon. Sericulture is a thriving industry in Kapangan and is strongly supported by its local government unit.
The raw silk of the models' attires will purely come from the province and to be woven by SRDI. FIDA has contacted designers to come up with fitting attires for the several wears.
Another component of the show is a two-week exhibit and demonstration at the BSU Open Gym and BSU Natures Park from November 19 to December 2,2006 to include live silkworms demonstrations on how silkworm produce silk threads; harvesting of silk from the pupa; processing of silkworm products including a demonstration on weaving; lecture on silkworm rearing; sale of silkworm products among others. (PIA-CAR) [top]