Tela de Iloko

Tela de Iloko strives to carry on the northern weaving tradition in today's modern fashion. 

In search for a business venture, Tela de Iloko’s founders started by discussing their similarities and they noticed that they all had a passion for helping, thus, leaning onto establishing a social enterprise. The current Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ms. Baliclic, thought about the local weavers in their province, Ilocos, and how weaving of indigenous fabric was their livelihood and main source of income. With this, they thought of offering common goods or home essentials such as placemats, coasters, blankets, handkerchiefs, and the like but as they researched, they found out that there are already many businesses offering these kinds of products making it hard for them to have a competitive advantage. They further researched and found out that the inabel fabric can also be used to make footwear, clothes, and bags, with the latter having less competition in its industry. As they studied the bag industry more, they saw that most businesses that offer bags utilizing ingenious fabric offered their products made purely using the fabric, which led them to design bags with leather and metal to modernize their products and give it a competitive edge.  

Four young and proud Thomasian entrepreneurs, Jera Miah Baliclic, the Chief Executive Officer, Maria Annika Barretto, the Chief Marketing Officer, Zharizza Kiara Santos, the Chief Finance Officer, and Beatrice Del Mundo, the Chief Human Resource Officer, together, will relive Tela de Iloko's mission to spread awareness of the Philippine tribal textile and encourage the market to proudly display a piece of Filipino culture in their daily lives.

The business offers modern style bags and wallets made from Inabel, a handwoven fabric native to the Ilocano region in the Philippines. The brand incorporates inabel with cow leather to create modern style yet classy traditionally infused bags and accessories that highlight the beauty and cultural significance of Ilocos’ handwoven fabric, while providing after-sales service to repair any manufacturing defects with warranty cards. All of the materials used in the collection are sourced locally, empowering local artisans and craftsmen to showcase their creative craftsmanship while also helping with their livelihood and supporting fellow micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to thrive. 

Deeply rooted in history, weaving is one of the distinctive ways for native Filipinos to express their art, culture and identity. Every region in the Philippines has its own unique handweaving tradition that has become its trademark, and the abel-weaving, ‘Ang Pag-aabel’, is one of the most well-known traditions in the north, Ilocos region. This ancient method of weaving cloth is slowly dying and scarcer over time, although this tradition is handed down from generation to generation, only a few people continue it, as most of the younger generation tends to seek greener pastures.

Embracing this dying tradition, Tela de Iloko hopes to shed light on the Ilocos' pride, Inabel, by partaking in the revitalization and preservation of its indigenous identity through weaving the threads of Filipino heritage and fashion modernity. 

Trendy yet traditional and timeless. These are the words that best describe every piece in Tela de Iloko's collections. Each bag and fashion accessory is designed for fashion enthusiasts who are fond of minimal-trendy yet durable styles suitable for every day and every occasion.