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P I N O Y S T Y L E
Proudly
Third World
Living away from home can either make
you a stranger to your culture or staunchly
patriotic. For Apol Lejano-Massebieau
(left) and Nola Andaya-Milani (below
left), living in France has reinforced their
love for their heritage. Last March, the
ladies launched 7100 Islands
(www.7100-
islands.com),
an online shop featuring
home and fashion accessories made in
France, using materials that promote
Filipino craftspeople back home.
Apol left her career as a journalist,
TV host and editor-in-chief of
Good
Housekeeping Philippines
and
Real
Living
in Manila to get married and move
to the South of France in 2003. “I started
La Pomme, my first company, which
was all about whimsical home décor
items made from materials sourced from
France,” says the 39-year-old. It was a
venture she thoroughly enjoyed. “But
after a few years, there was this little
voice in my head telling me I should be
true to my authentic self; that I needed to
work with material from the Philippines!”
She had become curious about
t’nalak,
a textile woven by the T’boli who
are indigenous to Southern Mindanao.
While sourcing for it, a Filipina friend put
her in touch with Nola, who happened to
be based in the South of France as well.
“Nola and I hit it off and became friends.
We had different businesses, but shared
a common vision.”
It seemed a natural fit. Like Apol,
marriage brought Nola to France. More
importantly, the 33-year-old loved
indigenous crafts. She handled a Crafts
A
Enterprise Development program
for a Philippine NGO for six years, a
posting that introduced her to artisan
communities. “I fell in love with them
and their crafts, which are the materials
we are now using for 7100 Islands.”
At the heart of Apol and Nola’s
first collection, Happy Tribal, are two
hand-woven, traditional fabrics derived
from the stems of the abaca plant:
the
t’nalak
and the
hinabol
of the
Higaonon. “These textiles travel from
the mountains of southern Philippines to
our workshop in the South of France,”
says Apol. “T’nalak” and “hinabol” mean
“woven” in the respective dialects of
the indigenous communities that make
them, T’boli and Higaonon. The process
of making these textiles is tedious.
“Preparing the threads to weaving a 3m
roll can take three months,” adds Apol.
Through 7100 Islands, t’nalak fabric
is sewn and sculpted into fruit bowls,
magazine holders, candy plates and
lamps, as well as origami boxes and
clutch bags fashioned from the stiffer
Hinabol weave. “Both the t’nalak
and hinabol
support marginalized
communities’ livelihoods. They are truly
beautiful materials that the world is not
yet familiar with,” says Nola. “We hope
to make these materials into objects that
the global market can relate to.” They’ve
already established a second collection,
Palengke, which are objects designed
and made by Filipino craftspeople.
Since the soft launch in late March,
7100 Islands has been featured on a
well-known US-based blog. An American
interior designer has also expressed a
desire to collaborate with them.
Their company tagline, “This is Third
World”, is about changing people’s
perceptions. “Didn’t we all grow up
hearing and saying,
‘Ay, napaka
-Third
World
naman!’
— meaning backwards
or tacky? I want to turn that idea on
its head, because I believe we have
our own special style that can inspire
others to say, ‘Wow!’” says Apol. Nola
agrees. “‘Third World’ doesn’t have to be
negative. ‘This is Third World’ can also
mean ‘This is the future’.”
7100 Islands,
www.7100-islands.com
or
www.etsy.com/shop/7100islands