HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Oahu-based designer Lydia Querian is debuting her latest collection in a sold-out show on Saturday during New York Fashion Week.

“This is a cotton inaul, gold trimming and embroidery. This is made in Sultan Cudarat in southern Philippines made by indigenous Iranun weavers,” Querian says, as she holds up a flowy, red dress that is part of the show. “This is Rocaya. Rocaya is one of the funniest weavers I know.”

Querian tells a story with each hand-woven piece from her fashion house Elle Karayan, named after beauty and the Ilocano term for “river.”

“I work with a lot of indigenous communities that are living right by the river,” she said. “For about 5 to 10 yards, it’ll take them about a week.”

From a loom in a rural Philippine village -- to her studio in Manil

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