After triumphing on the global stage at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Filipinos will once again be in the spotlight, this time at the Philippine Consulate General in New York. Ensembles by three fashion designers from Angeles City, Pampanga, are on display at the ongoing “Pinangari” exhibit, spearheaded by newly installed Consul General Elmer Cato. It runs until Aug. 30.
Marlon Tuazon, Philip Torres and Frederick Policarpio were chosen by Cato, who is also a proud Angeleño. They will each show six Filipiniana ensembles that reflect their vision and aesthetics.
Tuazon, who bagged the grand prize at the first TernoCon in 2018, included the terno top with beaded fringe detail on the sleeves worn by Miss Universe Philippines 2020 Rabiya Mateo. His other pieces consist of separates like a terno top with black and white beading, a sleeveless wrap top with shawl collar, and another terno top made of inabel fabric from Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
“The separates are very wearable. I wanted to show that the terno doesn’t have to be so stiff and formal,” Tuazon told Lifestyle.
Torres has been designing for close to 30 years, but in 2016, he began piecing together fabric remnants that would have otherwise gone to waste into one-of-a-kind separates and accessories, like shawls and wraps.
“I initially started Pidayit, which is Kapampangan for ‘sewing several pieces together,’ to make use of excess fabrics,” Torres said. “It has since grown to become my advocacy because I believe in sustainability while also providing work for the people in my community—unemployed women and out-of-school youth.”
Even as the pandemic rages on, he has been steadily providing his workers with a livelihood.
For the exhibit, Torres is presenting three barong Tagalog and three Filipiniana ensembles that feature his inimitable style.
But hasn’t he run out of fabric scraps in the five years since he started Pidayit?
“Yes, but when I need more, I always make it a point to buy from the market here in Angeles so I’m also able to help the sellers,” he said.
Policarpio is exhibiting classic terno with floor-sweeping skirts of his design. The designer completed courses at Central Saint Martins and at London College of Fashion, including one on couture bridal wear, a second in patternmaking and cutting, and another in couture tailoring.
His pieces for the exhibit will feature appliquéd and embroidered flowers that creep up the torso and extend over the bustline, or start at the waist and follow the seam of a paneled skirt.
Fashion show
In the fall, the three designers will present new collections consisting of 20 outfits in a fashion show at the Philippine consulate. This is not the first time Filipino designs have been on display there. “Fashion shows by top Filipino designers have always been part of the cultural calendar of the Philippine Consulate General in New York, but the ‘Pinangari’ is the first to be held since the pandemic,” Cato, who assumed his post four months ago, told Lifestyle.
Cato added that he has known Torres the longest and has worked with him in promoting his Pidayit style both in the Philippines and overseas.
“Philip, Marlon and Frederick are prominent designers in my hometown of Angeles. Bringing them to New York is one way to help them realize their dream to have a show in what is considered of the fashion capitals of the world,” Cato said.
New York-based Filipinos longing for a piece of home can check out the exhibit and look forward to the fashion show, but they won’t be able to order from the designers just yet.
“It won’t be a selling show because we’re not allowed to sell on the premises. That’s okay because I plan to hand out business cards to those who approach us after and want to have pieces made,” Torres said.
“We hope the COVID situation here in New York will not get worse so that we can hold more fashion events featuring designers from other parts of the Philippines,” Cato said.
“Pinangari: Threads of Hope” is on show at the Philippine Center lobby, 556 5th Ave., New York City.
