Mahal Kita Baybayin Crop Tee

Mahal Kita. I love you — written in Baybayin, the pre-colonial script of the Philippines, banded across a batok-inspired design that pulls together the Philippine sun, a trailing sampaguita vine, a lingling-o symbol, and a Kalinga-batok inspired geometric border. Left chest placement, sized to sit close to the heart.

This one lives on our lightest, flowiest cut — a relaxed festival crop with a boxy, easy drape and a cropped raw hem. Breathable and made to move, whether you're layering it over a bralette for a show or throwing it on with high-waisted denim for the everyday.

Fit & Fabric

• Relaxed, boxy festival crop silhouette
• Lightweight, flowy jersey blend — soft drape, breathable feel
• Cropped length with a raw/unfinished hem
• Left chest print placement
  

Care

• Machine wash cold, inside out
• Tumble dry low or hang dry to protect the print
• Do not iron directly on design

Design Details — Every Motif Has Meaning Each symbol in this design is drawn from Kalinga batok-inspired motifs, arranged top to bottom:

Batok is the traditional hand-tapped tattooing practice of the Kalinga people in the Philippines, and the sampaguita is the Philippine national flower. This design draws inspiration from both traditions as a tribute, not a reproduction of the sacred practice itself.

• Ancestors — representing lineage and strong bonds
• Rice crop pattern — a symbol of abundance and fertility
• Lingling-o — a protective fertility symbol
• Waves — the flow of spirit
• Snake scale pattern (tabwhad) — growth and fertility
• Centipede (gayaman) — good omens and warrior spirit
• Sampaguita vine — the Philippine national flower, tied to devotion

Layered into the Philippine sun and the Baybayin script for "Mahal Kita," each motif adds its own layer of meaning to the piece.