The annual Negros Trade Fair has always been a fashionista’s dream. Why? Simple. There’s always a find for them – something unique, stylish, and just, oh, so beautiful. So come September 14-18, 2016, at the Glorietta Activity Center, fashionistas should come in full force.

Exhibitions like Negros Trade Fair help sustain communities of artisans in developing markets; by cultivating innovative business practices & providing an avenue to promote and sell their locally made products. Exhibitors use resources which are unique in their communities and incorporate their artisan skills to produce products for the global market.

As in previous years’, the 31st Negros Trade Fair will again have a mind-boggling array of fashion and accessories that will satisfy every craving of any fashionista. There will be the clothes, accessories, fashion jewelry and what have you that will add to that special look you want to achieve.

In the press conference of Negros Trade Fair last September 13, the representative of fashion sector, Margaret “Maymay” Villacin, proudly promoted the fashion industry of Negros. Some of the exhibitors  in this sector this year are MCV Designs, Reyes house of Piña, Masaste Art Collection, Tickled Tripper, ChiEvs Stones and Crystals by Maria Sigrid Dugeno-Lo, Kiculo Crafts, Ellege Fashion, Casa Mercedes and the business owned by Ms. Villacin, Maitasun Lan.
But some of the fashion and accessories available at the 31st Negros Trade Fair will have a new twist. In line with this year’s theme of Biodiversity in Tourism, some of the producers’ creativity was challenged and they faced up to it by creating items that incorporate the diverse natural beauty that nature has blessed this particular island paradise.

 Some of these accessories are necklaces made of clay and bamboo clutch. Most of the jewelries and accessories are handcrafted in the local municipalities of Negros. Imagine fashion items inspired by the species’ endemic only to Negros? Unique, huh? You’ll never find that shopping in any of the other places around the metro! That’s for sure!

The fashion and accessory finds at the Negros Trade Fair isn’t just for fashionistas though. There’s a find for anyone and everyone…from babies to those with grand babies, there’s the piece that’s just perfect for you. What’s best is that their all beautifully created and designed, as well as crafted to the highest quality standards.

So if it’s unique fashion and accessories you’re looking for, the 31st Negros Trade Fair is the place for you. You can visit the trade event until Sunday. Hurry up!

The Negros Trade Fair is not just for the women.  The NTF is for the MEN too!  Here are the three things  MEN should look into at the 31st Negros Trade Fair.

Top on the list is Piña Barong Material at Reyes House of Piña.

Next is a pair of artisanal moccasins made with Hablon material from Pulupandan by Risque Designs of Tal de Guzman.




And of course, for everyone to enjoy, Don Papa Rhum!





The 31st Negros Trade Fair will be on from September 14 to 18, 2016 at the Glorietta Activity Center, Makati City.

For the ladies who lunch, the woven pandan bags of Kiculo would probably be fodder for the day’s topic.  Angular, roomy, lightweight, organic and elegantly embellished with crochet, faux pearls, or shiny metal pieces, or combined with genuine leather,  Kiculo bags exhibit the craftsmanship the artisans of Negros are known for. 

Kiculo, which is a combination of the first two letters of the creator’s names (Kitkat Cusi Lobaton), was born in 2003 to provide a source of livelihood for weavers in the family farm in Victorias City.   The farmhands underwent training in the art of weaving using pandan leaves as its primary material.  High quality was a foremost consideration for the finished products while sustainability was the motivation to continue producing the brand’s distinctive designs.


Today, the same standard and motivation guide the company’s direction in the fashion industry.  Fifty to eighty percent of the materials must be locally sourced while labor should be one hundred percent local.  The bags are colored with ecologically-friendly dyes.  

Kiculo’s bags are categorized as Office Accessories which include satchels,  envelope bags that are ample enough to hold documents, and even iPad cases; Casual that has shoulder bags and handbags; and Formal for clutch bags.  As a member of the Association of Negros Producers, Kiculo had opportunities to join the Negros Trade Fair in Manila, and its products have always been popular among the upper crust. 


Kiculo bags are luxury, hand-crafted pieces.  These are artisanal products that harness creativity as much as the weaver’s skill in producing classic pieces an elegant woman would be proud to carry.  A bag, for example the “Isabel”, an envelope bag, takes two days to weave, one day to dye, and one day for finishing.  Bags take from five to seven days to make; a wallet, two days.   There are also chic tote bags made from genuine leather sourced from a Bulacan tannery.

It takes three full-time weavers, and about eight to twelve seasonal or part-time workers to keep the business going.  Workers are paid per piece and, to fulfill their vision to “create an innovative fashion with compassion”, bag linings are outsourced to workers in Gawad Kalinga (GK) Handumanan. 

Visitors to the Annual Negros Trade Fair at the Glorietta in September would be pleased to know that the faux pearl-accented bags and the bags with handles of laminated patadyong (indigenous hand-woven checkered fabric) are available there.  These are Kiculo’s most popular items among its twenty-five collections which cater to hip pretty young things to fashion-conscious women who have arrived.  May these women not forget that each lovingly crafted accessory fulfills the weavers’ hopes and wishes as they realize their own.

Written by Betsy Gazo