Vogue may have predicted last year that hand-held fans are fast becoming the must-have accessory for summer but for me, this goes beyond merely ticking off a fashion trend.

I’m somewhat biased you see.

Let me explain…

My Mum is from The Philippines. Over there, hand-held fans are an everyday accessory – along with umbrellas being used as sun parasols. Needless to say, it’s HOT!

Comprising of over 7,000 islands and situated in the Western Pacific, the climate is very humid. Regular power cuts due to tropical storms and typhoons means that keeping cool via air conditioning units or an electric fan, isn’t always possible.

Which explains why the hand held fan has held its ground pretty well. It’s downright, ruddy useful!

A typical fan in the Philippines also known as a pamaypay or abaniko (from the Spanish word abanico) is a palm leaf design as seen, pictured here.

Useful for not only keeping cool it doubles up also as a mozzy murdering machine and it’s not uncommon to see it being twacked around to swot away annoying insects.

With lots of Spanish and baroque influences still in the Philippines (the archipelago was colonized by the Spanish for over three centuries) it’s the folding fan that has become my all time favourite.

It’s only until recently, when Mum bought (another) folding fan home as a present from a recent holiday that I discovered how unique this embroidery technique truly was.

Exclusive to the tiny village where my Mum is from, Taal (pronounced Ta-al) while many of the embroidered products sold there now are a hybrid of hand-made plus machine sewn – their origins and the traditions on which they are based, are simply fascinating.

BURDANG TAAL

The village of Taal is situated in Batangas, about 100km from Manila, the capital. It is here that a certain type of embroidery technique was born in the early 1900’s called Burdang Taal.

Involving a long process of gathering then drying of raw materials like pineapple and abaca (banana) fibres it’s then woven using a loom. The delicate fabrics created are then stretched on a bastidor (hoop) before work begins on hand embroidering flowers or geometric designs.

In its height of its popularity, former presidents Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand Marcos were usually seen in Taal-embroidered shirts (barongs) and a number of the former First Lady Imelda Marcos’ outfits were also Taal-embroidered.

As the embroidery industry boomed, so too did the range of products. Not just clothing but bed linens, tablecloths, purses and other accessories were fashioned.

With only a few remaining burdaderas (embroiderers) left, machines and man-made fabrics have started to take over.

Plus a younger and reluctant generation not willing to learn the trade means that unless the government inject resources into reigniting a new wave of interest to keep the craft alive, the facts are, it won’t be around for much longer…

I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you know of a small business, a crafter or a maker who’s trying to keep something beautiful alive, buy from them.

Tell your friends about it, too because it’s only in buying from small businesses that we can even possibly try and keep some of these traditional skills alive.

Thank you for reading.