The World Costume Festival is an international fashion festival held every two years in the Philippines city of Vigan City in Ilocos Sur.[1][2][3][4] The event showcases indigenous and modern costumes[5] geared towards live performances, such as drama, festivals, events, as well as multimedia presentations.[6] It emphasizes apparel for special ritual occasions or theater performance work as opposed to regular fashion apparel. Its organizers aim to promote tourism as well as encourage native loom-weaving and fabrics.[7] There is an emphasis on fabric materials and Philippine weaving methods such as batik, abel, and piña, from different parts of the Philippines.[6] A festival was held in Vigan City in the last week of April in 2013.[8] The dominant view is that the 2013 festival in Vigan was the first world costume festival, although there is a report of a similar costume festival that was held in Davao City in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao in 2001.[9] There are reports of the event either becoming an annual event or being held every two years. The event coincides with fashion festivals held in different cities in the Philippines.[10] The event was described as a preview for the World Stage Design Festival in Cardiff, Wales.[10] The primary focus of the event is a costume competition. The highest award at the festival is the Golden Kneeling Carabao Trophy, the carabao is a Philippine water buffalo sometimes found in swamps.[5] In addition to the costume competition, the event has workshops, classes by designers, conferences, as well as lectures from international experts. There is a costume parade down the cobblestone streets of Vigan.[11] The event has "jubilant colors" as well as a body-painting competition.[7] The Manila Standard described the event as "kaleidoscopic" with people wearing costumes from the historic past.[10]
^28 March 2013, Georgia News, Medea Dressing at World Costume Festival, Accessed July 10, 2014, "...World Costume Festival will take place in Philippines from April 27 till May 2. ..."
^ abPhilippine Daily Inquirer, 13-04-2013, via Asia News Network, "Costumes galore". Archived from the original on 2013-06-01. Retrieved 10 July 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link), "...design of indigenous and modern costumes ..."
^ abWalter Ang, Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 23rd, 2013, Philippines hosts World Costume Festival 2013, Accessed July 10, 2014, "...Preparations are under way for the World Costume Festival (WCF) 2013.."
^ abERNEST GONZAGA, FilAm Star, Vigan’s Binatbatan Festival of Arts, Accessed July 10, 2014, "...jubilant colors ... indigenous loom-weaving and tourism industry. ..body-painting competition,...."
^Glen Santillan, Escape Manila, Day 28 of PHL50, Accessed July 10, 2014
^ abcMST Lifestyle, May. 18, 2013, Manila Standard Today, The Philippines IN costume, Accessed July 10, 2014, "...cobblestone avenues ... people donning costumes from the country’s historic past....kaleidoscopic event ... curtain-raiser to the World Stage Design Festival to be held in September in Cardiff, Wales."
^April 29, 2013, Ilocos Daily, World Costume Festival Grand Parade - Vigan, Accessed July 10, 2014, "..2013 Grand Parade was successfully held yesterday. It was attended by more than 20 international delegates...."