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AMSTERDAM (March 16) - Woven Chic, an exhibition of Philippine-made handbags designed by internationally acclaimed Filipino designer Cora Jacob opened March 5 at the Museum of Bags and Purses (Tessanmuseum Hendrikje) in Gentleman's Canal, Amsterdam.

Cora Jacob or Cora Jacobs, as she is known internationally, has earned the title in the Philippines and in fashion capitals around the world as the "Indigenous Genius". The lawyer-turned designer took New York by storm during the 80's when her Ecologically-Chic handbags made of raw materials from the Philippines like bamboo, jute, raffia (grass), sugarcane, shells, beads and leather, landed on the shelves of high fashion stores like Bloomingdale''s and Sak's Fifth Avenue.

At the height of her success, Jacob was commissioned by high end fashion houses like Givenchy, Duior and Yves Saint Laurent and her bags were made famous with Hollywood and royalties alike including Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Bassinger and Princess Stephanie of Monaco.

Gaining interest from the European market after joining the 2007 Hongkong fashion week, Cora Jacob held her first European exhibit at the museum when she was included last November 2008 in the Evening Bag Collection of no less than the world's greatest museum of bags, placing her designs side by side with 4,000 of the most beautiful and expensive bags from around the world collected for more than 30 years by curator Hendrikje Ivo. Her daughter Sigrid expresses her fascination and admiration for the Cora Jacobs design because of its contemporary style and traditional significance to the Philippines.

Now with an even bigger collection and solo exhibition made possible by the Museum of Bags and Purses, The Cora Jacobs Spring-Summer 2009 collection labeled as Woven Chic boasts of Philippine fibers, exotic skins and shells. The overall concept of the collection would call you to nature, the fine sands and pristine waters of the world-famous Boracay Island, and the unparalleled treasures of Palawan and Cebu.

Still true to the Eco-Chic personality of her handbags, Cora Jacobs fuses indigenous with contemporary materials boasting of workmanship, design, functionality and appeal. Of special interest in the collection is a special Imelda Marcos handbag and clutch.  The exhibition runs from March 5 to May 3, 2009.

Source: Philippine Trade & Investment Center-Rotterdam