“Abel” with a twist

By Betina B. Lorenzo

Abel, the Iloko handwoven cloth, is famous not only for blankets, towels, mosquito nets, placemats and napkins, but also for clothing materials that has been generating great appreciation in the fashion world. While abel has become amazingly attractive for traditional gowns and formal wear in the local scene, this handcrafted cloth has become a hit in ultra-modern fashion in the United States.

US-based designer Luthgarda showcases her abel fashions with a twist in her shop at the heart of Los Angeles around the Beverly Center.

Better known as Lulu Raval in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, she comes up with exotic and unique creations resulting from her styling techniques i.e., hand-dyed, draped and embellished abel mixed and matched with other fabrics of various textures and colors.

“Unique designs especially those that are handcrafted and one-of-a-kind are highly admired,” says Luthgarda,

Moreover, she adds, they bring much excitement to ready-to-wear collections providing clients and consumers what they want—something special.

Her designs are quite precious that she has attracted a faithful following that includes Vanessa Paradis, a famous French actress and the top model for Chanel. She says with apparent pride that Paradis wore a Luthgarda design off the rack on the red carpet last year when her significant other, Johnny Depp, won a critics’ choice award in Hollywood.  Her other clients are Kathy Najimi, Talia Shire and the family members of Alice Cooper, to name a few.

She started her Abel Creations in the US in 1998. To keep control of creativity and individuality, so essential to her designs, she sells only a small number in California and as far away as St. Tropez, Paris, Japan, Sweden and Singapore. She saves her finest pieces for sale in arts and crafts shows.

She has been creating one-of-a-kind pieces since her first fashion show in Laoag City at the age of 16 in 1965. She was the first designer to use the gauzy abel, a fabric that has gone on to inspire the fashion imagination.

She is considering holding a fashion show on her latest Abel Creations in Laoag City early next year to further fuel interest in this Ilocano indigenous craft.