Lin-Awa Front Slit Pencil Cut Skirt

Lin-Awa Front Slit Pencil Cut Skirt
“Lin-awa” means clarity and peace, and this piece holds that story close.

2024 was quite a rough year for me. To ground and heal, my family welcomed the New Year in the mountains of Kalinga, embraced by the warmth and spirit of our dear Bawer family friends. It was there that something deeply sacred unfolded. A Kalinga sister blessed our youngest daughter with a sacred name to the mountains of Kalinga. She chose to honor us with a gift that crossed bloodlines and bound us like kin.

Soon after, they invited an Ifugao mumbaki to bless my child in a beautiful ritual akin to baptism. The blessing was followed by a batok (tattoo) ceremony led by practitioners from Tinglayan, grounding our spirits in ancestral rhythm and reverence. In the quiet reflection after, I sat and sketched—honoring that memory through design.

The Lin-Awa Skirt was born from that drawing.

Backstrap woven in Lubuagan by Kalinga weavers, this front-slit pencil skirt features bold red motifs drawn from traditional Kalinga patterns—symbols of resilience, kinship, and the feminine strength passed through generations. It comes in two designs, both honoring the bloodline of mountains and rivers, of ink and prayer.