HIBLA HABI

Designer: Ivan Fabia Mentor: Nicco Pintac Maker: Black Wing Shoes What it is: “In the 15th century, according to images in the Boxer Codex, Filipinos wore no shoes,” Fabia explained in Tagalog. “Agriculture and fishing were our primary industries, so shoes were not natural to us. The Japanese introduced slippers to us through trade, and when we were colonized by the Spanish, they persuaded us to wear western clothing, including shoes.”

He says all these influences are embedded in the culture of our country, and informed his shoe design. “A showcase of Filipino world-class art, talent and culture, Hibla Habi is a shoe woven with fibers from abaca, rattan, buri and tikog (showing our art of weaving), heels made of carved wood (highlighting Filipino sculpture) and a toe cap ornamented with brogue patterns resembling the art of pagbabatok that brings the message of ‘one sun, one moon for one earth’ — harmony and unity for everyone.”