READ: How did Dina Bonnevie help revive a dying craft in Ilocos?
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Dina Bonnevie tells the story of how she helped reviving the dying art of Inabel in Ilocos.
There was once a time when Inabel or Abel Iloco textiles were traded for gold. However, with the rise of modernization, the number of inabel weavers started to fade with the younger generations opting for other pursuits.
When Hon. Deogracias Victor "DV" Savellano was elected as the district representative for Ilocos Sur, one of his advocacies was to revive the dying art of inabel.
To do this, Cong. DV enlisted the help of his wife, actress Dina Bonnevie.
Although reluctant at first, Dina still decided to help her husband promote Inabel.
"My husband's advocacy [is] helping and sustaining the weavers. We wanted to find a way na ipagpatuloy 'yung paghahabi ng mga kababaihan doon.
"For a long time, wala nang gustong mag-weave. Gusto na lang nilang pumasok sa call center, mag-OFW. Walang nakakaisip maghabi.
"I started bringing [inabel] to bazaars. We got a lot of buyers and a lot of people, nagkaroon sila ng awareness about abel," she recalled.
Dina served as a medium for the weavers to reach and cater to more customers. From these bazaars, they were able to attract the attention of brands who wanted to use these textiles for their products.
However, when their inabel weaves started gaining traction, Dina admitted that there were times when she thought about quitting due to the added stress.
"Sabi ko pagod na pagod na ako, 'di ko na kaya kasi andami ng stores na sinu-supply-an, 'di na kaya ng powers ko.
"Naiyak sila na 'Ma'am, sige na naman, 'wag mo kaming pabayaan. Ikaw ang pag-asa namin kasi nakaahon kami sa kahirapan dahil sa'yo.'
"Basta marami pa akong matutulungan, sige itutuloy natin 'to," she said.
Through her efforts, Dina wasn't just able to increase the customer base for inabel textiles but she also encouraged other locals to take up the craft as well.
"Because nakikita [ng mga lokal] na kumukuha ako ng abel, parang na-eengganyo sila na 'Sige na nga, maghahabi na lang tayo kasi it's lucrative naman pala. Marami naman palang kikitain sa paghahabi.'
"You can see their life, 'nung una hindi pa sila masyadong okay, ngayon makikita mo nakabili na ng truck, ng kotse, aircon na 'yung bahay, may malaking bodega, may dalawang tricycle.
"So kahit papaano nakakatulong. At the same time, you're able to preserve a legacy that we should be really proud of.
"Nag-umpisa ako as in we only had how many weavers, mga 10 or 15 aged 80 to 90 plus.
"Now we have over 75 plus weavers na 35, 40 years old.
"Iyon naman 'yung gusto namin kasi sayang because this is a heritage that we should be proud of and we should be able to keep it alive."
Now, Dina has her own inabel brand called La Bon Vie. Not only does she supply brands with fabrics but she sells her own products as well.
She's also making plans to make the inabel industry sustainable for future generations.
"People have known more about Ilocos products because of what we do. Hindi naman sa nagbubuhat ng bangko but we're so sincere about really pushing the products and making it known, not only in the Philippines, but worldwide."
Lastly, Dina shared her and Cong. DV's goal of building a museum dedicated to inabel's history and the meaning behind the patterns woven in the fabric.
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