Dina Bonnevie embraces new role as inabel champion

Dina Bonnevie-Savellano, La Bonne Vie president

Fast fashion dominates the retail landscape in the Philippines, but locally made textiles are holding their own.

This trend is welcomed by HABI: The Philippine Textile Council, stressing that creating these fabrics not only helps the environment but also the people who make them. Indeed, most brands promoted by HABI partner with weaving communities in different regions.

HABI rallies support for local weaving communities by providing them a platform to sell their goods. And even amid the pandemic, HABI—which has organized trade fairs in high-traffic locations for years—continues its mission by pivoting online and hosting virtual fairs over at shophabifair.com.

Among those that have benefited from HABI’s efforts is La Bonne Vie, which means “the good life” in French and a fun word play of its president’s name, Dina Bonnevie-Savellano.

The brand helps elevate fashion and home items made from Inabel Iloko, or handloom weaves from the Ilocos Region. The celebrity’s mission is to revive and preserve the handloom weaving art done by Ilocos weavers and “create a sustainable source of income through the continuous patronage of their products.”

The acclaimed actress shares that with the pandemic, the brand faced additional obstacles on top of the existing challenge to preserve the Inabel Iloko heritage, but it has decided to carry on.

Bonnevie says, “La Bonne Vie took the risk of buying almost all their [Ilocos weavers] weaves to the point of overstocking, just to ensure the weavers that their means of livelihood will not come to an end. In the midst of hard times, we managed to open new markets in Australia, the United States and other parts of globe.” Among the most popular products La Bonne Vie offers are bags and shoes that Bonnevie says sparks a conversation because of how colorful the textile is. La Bonne Vie’s offering of the textile is also present in the form of home staples such as table runners, cushion covers, blankets and bed covers, among others, which Bonnevie vouches for in terms of their durability and warmth.

HABI president Adelaida Lim shares that they have partnered with La Bonne Vie for many years through the HABI fair, adding “they [La Bonne Vie] always offer handwoven Ilocano textiles of good quality and fair pricing. [The] La Bonne Vie brand brought its loyal customers to the bazaar and attracted many new buyers.”

Bonnevie says being endorsed by HABI has given La Bonne Vie an online selling platform, which has become necessary for continued success. Their association with HABI also adds more credibility to the products of La Bonne Vie as Bonnevie pointed that HABI is known for carrying prestigious and world-class products.