Earning the plum prize (winner, Look of Style Awards 2013 Apparel category) and a Bench Chosen Fashion Designer of the Year award, Rei Escario wowed judges with a collection of new shapes on neutral-colored piña cocoon, tulle and neoprene.
Picture sculptural details on a sleeveless top, a jigsaw pattern digitally printed on a pencil skirt, or an unexpected execution of the classic tuxedo jacket. “I want my clothes to be wearable, comfortable, and to look trendy and new,” says Rei.
The younger brother to seasoned Cebu designer Jun Escario, Rei was raised watching his older sibling’s fashion shows. As such, he not only looks up to Jun, he also can’t help sharing a similar aesthetic. His scholarship at Central Saint Martins should change that very soon.
What does Jun think of Rei’s recent win? “He said, ‘We’re going to pick out clothes for your London show,’” shares Rei with a laugh. “He doesn’t say much, but I know he’s proud of me.”
Inspired by a geological process called petrification (wherein organic matter is turned into stone over time), Jayson “Jaggy” Glarino (Tan Gan Knitwear Award) created his elaborate knit collection using techniques that mimic the surface of a shell as well as the petrified look of corals, sea urchins, mollusks and other marine organisms.
His materials—saluyot, water hyacinth, piña and cotton yarns—were sourced from the Philippine Textile Research Institute.
“This collection tries to represent a ‘petrified’ Pinoy,” he explains. “Someone who has been strengthened by odds and has stood the test of time. Someone who is ready to go head-to-head with the rest of the world.”
A designer of his couture line and uniform company, Jaggy is also associate designer for Albert Andrada Luxewear.
Known for his edgy, underground aesthetic, Renan Pacson addressed the “Pinoy Goes Global” theme by marrying traditional fabrics with modern technology and designs. His massive coats are fashioned from a blend of piña fiber and cotton, while his shift dresses sport digital prints of tobacco packaging design circa 1890.
Tribal meets sartorial
Tribal meets sartorial in Windel Mira’s collection of short, boxy, floral dresses accentuated with cotton tinalak from Bukidon tribe, zipper trimmings, and miyokito pattern technique to create angular “valley” details.
A member of the Davao Elite Fashion Group, Windel has won competitions in his region.
Tzardy Tombo’s collection of flamboyant, figure-hugging dresses and separates was inspired by the natural beauty of his native Davao, a city, he says, “of heights and flights.”
“We see the Philippine Eagle not just as the icon our city is known for, but for its grace and elegance, two qualities that a Filipino woman has to conquer the world.”
From Yve Camingue, we learn the word “Barmecidal”—or illusion, as defined by Dictionary.com.
“Our country provides the world an illusion of abundance,” this finalist from Cebu explains, “but in reality, it is suffering.”
Enter his collection—structured leather and cracked jersey dresses in black and blue, with geometric folds and flaps reminiscent of neckerchiefs and baro’t saya of yesteryears.
When Seph Bagaso created flouncy see-through skirts using piña, and cropped halters with a finer version of abel Iloko, the young designer wanted to show that these and other traditional textiles are not just for occasions that require the national costume.
“I want to show the full potential of the classic Filipiniana, presenting it to the mainstream market in ways that it was not originally intended,” he explains.
Updating classic Filipinana fashion with contemporary silhouettes and details is Porfi Medina’s take on the “Pinoy Goes Gobal” theme. This Fine Arts graduate of the University of the Philippines learned his pattern-making and sewing skills at Slim’s Fashion and Arts School. In 2012, he won the Mega Young Designers Competition’s People’s Choice Award.
Dark, tailored sheaths, shifts, and separates infused with elements of the terno and made of Mindanao silk, synthetic and organic materials sum up Jian Lasala’s collection for today’s
dynamic Pinay.
A Fine Arts graduate of the University of the Philippines Cebu, Neil Felipp (winner, Look of Style Awards 2013 Accessories category) cites Disney cartoons, specifically “The Little Mermaid,” as an early inspiration.
Growing up in his family’s metal-manufacturing company, he discovered brass, a medium that would allow him to “create stories you can hold within your hand” when combined with shells, paper, stingray leather, semiprecious stones and other materials.
Such explains the intriguing back stories behind his winning minaudières. “Though she may seem fragile for her elegance and beauty, she has the heart of a dragon,” he says of “Suzy Wong.”
Traditional and trendy
The Grand Prize winner of the 2011 Japan Fashion Design Competition (Meguro Gajo-en, Tokyo, Japan) and a finalist in the Look of Style Awards 2012, Jun Artajo (SM Accessories Chosen Designer of the Year) holds a Fine Arts degree from the Davao City’s Philippine Women’s College of Davao.
For his entries in the Accessories category, the very versatile Jun translated traditional materials into a trendy style: His wedge and S-shaped booties are made of braided and dyed abaca fibers and carved wood.
Since completing his Interior Design degree in Tacloban’s Eastern Visayas State University, Earl Gariando (Sheffield Hallam University scholar) has been working nonstop.
For Bench, he did various tasks—from handling the display and product development of the retail brand’s undergarments, to styling Korean superstar Jerry Yan and the models of the Bench Fever fashion shows.
He also served as assistant creative director for Bench’s sister company, Kashieca.
Earl’s entries in the Look of Style Awards 2013—regal repoussé clutches—combine copper, fresh-water pearls, abel Iloko, suede lining, and detachable aluminum and copper chain straps with pearls and rose quarts that double as a necklace, bracelet or belt.
Backgrounds in Architecture and Gemology are apparent in the works of Angela Angeles, who also won a Sheffield Hallam University scholarship.
A graduate of the University of Santo Tomas and the Gemological Institute of America, she apprenticed under noted accessories designer Wynn Wynn Ong before launching her own collections at Cura V and Firma.
Besides choosing them for their unmistakable beauty, Angela used mother-of-pearl, crystals and metal as materials for her entries because of their striking Pinoy symbolism. Gold, she says, represents the country’s rich culture, while sparkling crystals embody our fertile land and vast natural resources.
Despite achievements that include the grand-prize win in the Accessories division of a competition organized by the Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines in 2011, Adante Leyesa (Sheffield Hallam University scholar) has not forgotten his roots. His entries were inspired by churches—from “the churches and lives affected by the recent earthquakes in Bohol and Cebu,” he says of his piece called “Basilica,” to the ones found in his native Batangas.
Aside from piña, calado embroidery, freshwater pearls, and colorful stones and crystals, Adante’s intricate accessories also employ safety pins that discreetly hold all the elements together into stunning, wearable creations.
Sky-high soles
Studded uppers and sky-high soles are the trademark of the shoe brand Monster.
“Monster shoes are designed for young men and women who have a distinct sense of style,” says designer Roland Ramiro (Sheffield Hallam University scholar). “They are proud to show the world who they are. Monster shoes know no sex, no limits, no rules—just pure fashion bliss.”
For his Accessories entries, Roland incorporated detachable harnesses and “wings” as well as recycled leather into his cutting-edge creations.
After working for such prestigious retailers as Rustan’s, Adora, 7 for all Mankind and the Natori Company, Martha Rodriguez decided to focus on Vesti, her own line of stylish and functional bags fashioned from indigenous handwoven fabrics from Mindanao.
Chic clutches, handbags and sling bags inspired by linear structures and employing different leathers and gold bangles were the entries of this Clothing Technology and Textile graduate of the University of the Philippines.
Ikat patterns created by painstakingly placing strips of bamboo skin together adorned the clutches and minaudières submitted by Shiela Damalerio. The Fashion Design graduate of the Philippine Women’s College of Davao has a knack for innovation.
In 2010, she placed first in a Kaniyogan Accessory Design Competition, using coconut as main material.
Food inspired Kitty Bunag’s elaborate neckpieces. Using beads, semiprecious stones and metals, she assembled accessories that captured the caramelized syrup and black pearls against silken tofu whites of taho, the festive colors of halo-halo, the classic neutrals and rich textures of coconut palm, and the signature yellow hue of ripe mango.
The Interior Design graduate of the College of St. Benilde and the Philippine School of Interior Design runs Kitty & Bee Designs, her own jewelry and accent design outfit.
Hanging out with shoemakers and pattern makers taught Joel Comendador the trade. Despite no formal training, he has created a wide assortment of footwear, ranging from super-sky-high stilettoes and heel-less studded booties, to his entries for the competition, fire-inspired shoes made of carabao leather and scaled synthetic leather, each with 3D printed resin heels.
When he isn’t teaching others how to make jewelry, Rencie Santos is creating them for his eponymous accessories label and Silver Line, his store at Tiendesitas, Pasig.
A nod to our country’s churches and Filipinos’ strong Catholic beliefs, his entries use freshwater pearls and crystals, as well as carved and molded resin painted in silver.
With her shoes, Kristal de Guzman likes to tell stories, like the Bukidnon fable of how the moon and the stars came to be so high in the sky.
Designing under her label Risque, the Fine Arts graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University and fashion design graduate of the School of Fashion and the Arts has taken to “customizing shoes the Filipino way.”
Local fabrics are typical materials of her heels and wedges, and with the help of artisans from Paete, Laguna, her heels come with cute carvings of tarsier, buwaya and pawikan.
PHOTOS BY JOSEPH AGCAOILI