It's no news that Solenn Heussaff loves to paint, but now she's gone a step further by creating wearable art for local label Lahi! A design collaboration with fellow creative minds and fashionphiles, Mia Arcenas and Vanessa Heussaff (yes, Sos' sister!), we stop for a quick chat with the actress on what the proudly Pinoy brand has got for us to look forward to.
How does Lahi help indigenous Filipino communities?
"Through appreciating local processes in weaving, embroidery, and sewing. By appreciating and incorporating locally made materials, we encourage these indigenous communities to sharpen their skills, and hand them down to the next generation. Although many have shifted to modernization and technology, we at Lahi make it our priority to provide livelihood for these communities while preserving our roots, culture, and heritage."
Which traditional weaves do you incorporate in the pieces?
"There's a weave called Hablon, which is local to Cebu. We also use Ifugao and Kalinga weaves from Northern Luzon."
Who creates your prints? What's the process of hand-drawing them?
"For our loungewear, it's a mix between my sister's and my watercolor work, then she creates a pattern on Photoshop with both our drawings. For the embroidery, all three of us make a mood board and draw certain elements we think represents the character of the Filipino and combine it. Then Mia [Arcenas] takes care of and oversees production and colors. All the decorations on our jackets are hand embroidered and sewn onto the pieces, and we make sure every single one is unique as we don't use the same batik or weave to detail the jackets twice."
What can we look forward to from Lahi's new collection?
Hey, Preview readers! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, and Twitter to stay up to speed on all things trendy and creative. We’ll curate the most stylish feed for you!
