Much of the appeal of the traditional Barong Tagalog draws from its sheer material of jusi and piña – fabrics quite remarkable for their scintillating sheen and strength.
Products of the hand looms, these fine woven materials of pale ecru, (their natural color) some with almost the soft, delicate texture of a spider’s web, demand the services of only the highly skilled and exceedingly patient weavers. In fact, in the Visayan provinces of Aklan and Iloilo, weaving gossamer fabrics for the Barong Tagalog is as much a craft as it is a commitment. The weavers are mostly old and not so old women whose dedication and skills they have inherited from their elders. This is because in Iloilo and Aklan, weaving is a legacy of the ages.
