When the biggest pop music acts banded together in 1985 to record “We are the World” to raise money for starving people in Africa, American producer Quincy Jones reportedly told them to “check your egos at the door.”

 

No one had to make such an appeal last Friday evening. The more than 100 or so fashion designers in “Filipino para sa Filipino” seemed to have been guided by this unwritten memo, as they happily went about catching up with colleagues while dressing up their models backstage at SM Aura’s Samsung Hall.

 

Everyone, from directors Jackie Aquino, Robby Carmona and Ogee Atos to designers, stylists, makeup artists, beauty queens and models, worked pro bono. SM also waived charges for use of the venue.

 

Guests donated at least P1,000 each at the entrance. A silent auction of accessories was also held at the venue’s lobby.

 

Before the night was over, the mother of all fashion shows for the benefit of victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” was able to raise P809,750 from entrance donations, pledges and the accessories auction.

 

Designers, who showed one piece each, were grouped according to their affiliations.  The country’s leading retailers also showed ready-to-wear items from various brands they carry. (See related story on page D1)

 

Even the fashion institution, Slim’s, showed a vintage evening wear from the archive collection of its founder, Salvacion Lim Higgins.

 

Students of Slim’s Fashion School volunteered as dressers backstage.

 

Taking inspiration from the colors of the Philippine flag, Carmona, Aquino and Atos assigned a specific color to each group: red for the Fashion Design Council of the Philippines; blue for the Fashion Designers Association of the Philippines;  white (optional) for retailers and yellow for Filipino masters led by Ben Farrales, Inno Sotto, Auggie Cordero and Pepito Albert.

 

Date with history

 

Apart from the opportunity to help, makeup artist-turned-fashion designer Fanny Serrano saw the event as his date with history.

 

“I was just starting out as a designer when we did a similar but smaller fashion show for victims of Mt. Pinatubo,” he said. “It’s also a good time to meet people and touch base with colleagues.”

 

It was Farrales who usually organized benefit fashion shows, including one for communities affected by the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991. But not a few industry insiders cited “Filipino para sa Filipino” as the biggest and most immediate fashion show-fundraiser. (Immediate—it was organized in two weeks.)

 

“I’ve done this before, but it wasn’t anything as close to this,” said Mike dela Rosa. “During the time of Mang Ben (Farrales), we were only 50 or so designers. I guess, this event is also in keeping with how big this disaster is.”

 

When Dela Rosa told clients about the event, almost all of them expressed their willingness to help. But some were a bit skeptical if their donations would reach the beneficiaries.

 

Donations are safe

 

“I assured them that since Inquirer is the one on top of it, their donations are safe,” he said. “I find it heartening that even those who couldn’t attend are supporting the event. One client,

for instance, told me she’s sending her daughter with a P10,000 donation.”

 

All the proceeds will be given to Tabang Visayas for the rehabilitation of the Visayas. Tabang Visayas is an umbrella organization of civic organizations such as the Ayala Foundation, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Metrobank Foundation, the CBCP-Caritas, Zuellig Family Foundation, Assisi Development Foundation, Philamlife Foundation.

 

Despite the short lead time, some of the designers, including Serrano, Dela Rosa, Oskar Peralta, Jan Garcia, Delby Bragais, Noel Crisostomo, Ronaldo Arnaldo and Peter Lim, made clothes especially for the event. Others showed their best pieces from previous collections.

 

“I had less than a week when I was informed about it,” Peralta said. “I couldn’t say no to organizers, especially to Thelma San Juan. How could I when this event is bigger than any of us? It’s for the people of the Visayas.”

 

Since he barely had three days to fashion a black-and-yellow gown with floral appliques on the skirt, Peralta asked his staff to drop whatever they were doing and focus on this piece.

 

“Every time I read the papers, I couldn’t help but be touched,” he said. “In a way, we in Manila are blessed. It could have happened here. If asked to do more, why not? I hope this is just the start.”

 

Even Czech beauty queen Tereza Fajksova, 2013 Miss Earth, found time to model for Eric Pineda. She shared the stage with fellow beauty queens Ariella Arida, third runner-up in the recent Miss Universe pageant, Bb. Pilipinas-International Bea Rose Santiago and Bb. Pilipinas runner-up Pia Wurtzbach.

 

In a rare social appearance, Stella Marquez-Araneta, founder and chairman of Bb. Pilipinas-Charities, Inc., attended the event to lend her support.

 

“This is a truly wonderful and amazing event,” said Fajksova. “Through these people’s skills and talents, we’re all able to help in our own way.”

 

Her own money

 

Fajksova and her party were all set to go to Tacloban weeks ago, but logistical problems prevented them from flying there. Apart from donating money to buy bottled water and appealing to fellow Czechs back home to help, she buckled down to work by helping pack relief goods for Yolanda victims.

 

For Peter Lim, who was born and partly raised in Tacloban, taking part in the show was also a personal cause: He lost a first cousin and his son to Yolanda. Another Tacloban-based

cousin has evacuated to Manila.

 

“As far as I know, I’m the only designer here who hails from Tacloban,” said Lim, who speaks fluent Waray.

 

Lim’s younger cousin was on the second floor of their house, while his older cousin and his son were on the first floor. When he opened the front door, a storm surge engulfed the house’s entire first floor, drowning him and his two-year-old son.

 

“They found the child’s body later, but my cousin’s body was nowhere to be found,” said Lim, who did a silk crepe and tulle number inspired by the shape and color of yellow bells from his childhood home in Tacloban.

 

“Their house was totally wiped out. We knew very little about storm surges, but on hindsight, the whole of Tacloban, which faces the open sea, is vulnerable to them.”

 

Dennis Lustico, another Waray designer, was luckier. His family and friends in Bobon, a small town in northern Samar near Catarman, were spared the full force of Yolanda’s fury.

 

“It was heartbreaking to see images of death and destruction,” he said. “Like any other Pinoy, I nearly cried when I saw the extent of damage on TV. It was on a whole new level.”

 

Like many of his colleagues, it wasn’t Lustico’s first time to join a fashion show for a cause. He has joined other benefit shows, including those organized by Farrales.

 

“It should be just the beginning,” he said. “But I must say that this has been the biggest gathering of designers and industry people I’ve participated in. It shouldn’t end here.”

 

Photos by Andrew Tadalan and Alanah Torralba