IPB and partners to host fashion and agricultural innovation event

The University of the Philippines Los Baños - Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB) is celebrating its 50th founding anniversary with the theme IPB Golden Jubilee: Celebrating Milestones, Innovating Pathways in Plant Breeding. As a highlight of this golden milestone, IPB, together with its partners, is set to host the first-ever International Plant Breeding Conference (IPBC) from June 26 to 27, 2025, at The Manila Hotel.

Adding a distinct flair to the scientific gathering, IPB, in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) and the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD), will present KatHABI: Textile Innovation Fashion Show x IPB Abaca Hybrid. This innovation showcase will feature garments made from the IPB-developed abaca hybrid, a plant-based fiber that forms part of the Philippine Tropical Fabrics (PTF), blended with other locally sourced natural fibers.

The runway will spotlight creations from renowned Filipino designers including Avel Bacudio, JC Buendia, Jor-el Espina, Jun Escario, Benjie Panizales, and Egay Ayag of the Davao Fashion and Design Council, as well as DOST-PTRI’s in-house design team. This fusion of fashion and agricultural innovation aims to demonstrate the commercial viability and global competitiveness of Philippine fibers in the textile and fashion industries.

Dignitaries, national scientists, government officials, and industry stakeholders are expected to attend the celebration. Their participation highlights the increasing collaboration between the scientific community and the creative sector, advancing innovative and sustainable fiber development and encouraging greater support for indigenous materials.

A key moment during the much-anticipated Gala Night will be the unveiling of the official brand name for the IPB-developed abaca hybrid.

The IPB abaca hybrid

It was in the 1950s that UPLB’s plant breeders initiated studies and efforts to save the native abaca endemic to the Philippines from the destructive abaca bunchy top virus, which causes stunting, deformities, leaf streaking, and reduced fiber yields that greatly affect fiber production.

Existing abaca varieties during that time were susceptible to the virus, and pesticides were costly and impractical. Because of this, scientists opted for a sustainable solution by breeding virus resistance to produce superior abaca varieties that would help farmers and the fiber industry.

By expanding research into wild abaca relatives, breeders and researchers discovered virus resistance traits in the Pacol (Musa balbisiana) species. The scientists merged its promising resistance trait with the desirable qualities of abaca through precise interspecific hybridization and two generations of backcrossing, resulting in a new variety that is durable, disease-resistant, and climate-resilient.

The IPB’s abaca hybrid possesses 87.5% abaca genome and 12.5 percent wild banana–making it suitable for pulp, fiber, textile, and fabric applications.

After over 50 years of research, IPB’s abaca hybrid was developed in collaboration with the DOST-PTRI.

The IPB abaca hybrid, to be launched under a new name, is a revolutionary fiber–a product of scientific dedication towards agricultural innovation.

The KatHABI: Textile Innovation Fashion Show x IPB Abaca Hybrid

KatHABI is a portmanteau of the Filipino words katha (invention or composition) and habi (to weave), symbolizing the thoughtful creation of textiles through a blend of innovation, sustainability, and cultural tradition.

Launched by the DOST-PTRI in 2022, KatHABI has been showcased at the Senate of the Philippines, House of Representatives, and in various locations across the Philippines and abroad, initially in New York. It showcases the use of natural fibers such as abaca, pineapple, bamboo, and silk, along with other textile innovations applied across various categories in apparel and other industries.

This year, KatHABI has established itself as the premier platform for introducing the Abaca Hybrid. With strong mechanical properties and refined aesthetics, the Abaca Hybrid supports both premium fashion and institutional use, in alignment with Republic Act No. 9242 or the PTF Law, promoting indigenous fibers in government uniforms.

Through KatHABI: A Textile Fashion Innovation x Abaca Hybrid, capsule collections by leading Filipino designers will be unveiled as both creative expressions and functional prototypes. The initiative brings together research, design, and advocacy to champion local fibers, strengthen cultural identity, and advance a more inclusive and sustainable textile industry.

The organizers

This historic event is co-organized by the College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS), UPLB, DOST, DOST-PTRI, DOST-PCAARRD, National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), The Manila Hotel, and Tan Yan Kee Foundation, Inc.; sponsored by Del Monte, Philippines, Inc., Bayer CropScience Inc., Syngenta, and AgriSpecialist; and advertised by the Department of Agriculture–Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR), Philippine Seed Industry Association (PSIA), Pilipinas Kaneko Seeds Corp., SL Agritech, Ramgo, Mama Sita Foundation, and Nicolie Enterprise.

IPB’s media partner is the Manila Bulletin. (Dianne B. Ubaldo, Reina Rose Realino, and Cornelio Loyola, Jr.)