What is WITS?

The World Ikat Textiles Symposium (WITS) was originally initiated by the Society Atelier Sarawak, AHPADA and the World Crafts Council Asia Pacific led by Edric Ong. The first WITS was launched in London, United Kingdom from April 15 to June 25, 2016.

WITS aims to offer a common platform to celebrate the rich heritage of the ikat tradition, which is found throughout the world, including the Philippines. Its objectives are to inform and educate the public on various ikat traditions across the world, to foster cross-cultural exchanges on issues affecting ikat-weaving communities and heritage preservation, and to develop connections between these ikat artisans, craft organizations, and textile lovers.

Following the inaugural London event, further editions of WITS followed in Delhi, India, and Ku-ching, Malaysia in 2017; Khon Kaen, Thailand in 2018, and Jakarta, Indonesia in 2019. After the lull brought by COVID-19, the organizers invited the Philippines to host this year's annual WITS festival. Baguio City's status as a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art and the Cordilleras' rich ikat traditions made Baguio City the perfect host to this world-renowned textile event.

The exhibition will consist of over 100 items of unique ikat traditions from more than 20 countries: Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Philippines, Brunei, Japan, India, Guatemala, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The WITS will hold a symposium with world-ikat scholars and practitioners from different countries, with a highlight on the Philippine ikat.

What are the events at the WITS Baguio 2024?

• Symposium featuring international and Philippine speakers (scholars, artisans, weaving practitioners and natural dyers).
• The exhibition features the current travelling International collection, part of the previous editions of WITS, with an additional focus on traditional ikat textiles from the Philippines
• Fashion Show featuring both international and Philippine designers with ikat as an inspiration into their collection.
• Weave Exchange and Demonstration at Narda’s Winaca Eco-Cultural Village in Tublay, Benguet. Winaca will be the venue for demo workshops on ikat weaving, natural dyeing and weavers’ conversations. The workshops will feature ikat weavers and artisans from the Philippines and the world.
• Artisan’s Bazaar will feature a well curated bazaar from around the world, including our very local woven products from the Philippines.