LOOK: Face masks feature Lumban, Laguna’s hand embroidery tradition—and it’s less than P500

“Wear your heritage” has been a rallying cry in the past years with a push to champion local craftsmanship and support local artisans. But with the pandemic still raging on and people now without any reason to dress up at home, this may be hard to do.

[READ: Indigenous handwoven masks are in—but how do we make sure our local weavers are properly compensated?]

But the crafts folk of Lumban, Laguna—lovingly called burdareros and burdareras—known for their intricate hand-embroidery technique employed in the making of fine barong and Filipiniana as well as rich brocade sacred vestments for religious figures, won’t just let their heritage take a back seat.

What better medium to showcase this craftsmanship than the accessory of the moment: face masks? Using their unique full chain Callado design, Lumban artisans are making functional masks that pay homage to its design heritage.

Made using cocoon silk fabric, a fabric often used to substitute piña fiber in the manufacture of barong and Filipiniana, the local burdaderos and burdareras of Lumban painstakingly hand-embroiders this with floral motifs.

[READ: Care for some (non-medical grade) designer masks?]

The masks, which also has filter pockets for added protection are a project of heritage brand Herencia in collaboration with Dos Hermanos Sacred Vestment. Priced from P200 to P400 per design, these masks help employ burdaderos and burdareras during these challenging times.

Oh, and did we mention, these designs were also named after Jose Rizal’s fictional characters in “Noli me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo”: Isagani, Paulita, Ibarra and Maria Clara?

To place an order, message Herencia on their Facebook page. You might, however, have to wait a little while as orders up to September have already been filled up.

“As much as we want to accept pre-orders for our Batch 4, we want to re-assess the quality and logistics of our production line. This step would also make sure that we won’t abuse or exhaust our Lumban burdaderos and burdaderas with their craft,” Herencia said in a post.

“We believe that our heritage won’t fall pity to the demands of commercialization—and we here in Herencia wants to maintain it at that notion.”

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Writer: CHRISTIAN SAN JOSE
ART LEVENSPEIL SANGALANG