Seems like the fashion world hit the ground running this 2024, especially for local designers.
This year has borne witness to several milestones. Earlier in the year, esteemed couturier to bigwigs Paul Cabral launched his first-ever runway show after being in the industry for nearly three decades. Model-slash-photographer Jo Ann Bitagcol debuted as a fashion designer at Bench Fashion Week, followed by the opening of her studio midyear and a popup at the Power Plant Mall for the holiday season. Dennis Lustico celebrated 25 years in fashion with twice as many pieces of his handmade creations.
Carl Jan Cruz held a one-day fashion exhibit at Silverlens titled “2023 Collection: International Interbarangay,” where his 24-piece collection was on view for only 24 hours. In a seeming subversion of the usual fashion runway format, his contemporary works remained still while viewers walked around them.
The SoFA Design Institute finally opened its Proscenium Makati campus after announcing its move from its Jupiter location last year.
Lulu Tan-Gan became the first female designer to be featured in the Red Charity Gala—not that gender matters in design, she said—showcasing a whopping 60-piece collection, while Happy Andrada became the first fashion designer to be featured at the Pinoy Playlist Music Festival, which combined Filipinos’ love for music and fashion.
Just recently, Iloilo-based designer Jor-El Espina finally opened a Makati studio to cater to his Metro Manila clientele.
Custom gown designer Hannah Kong also opened her store in SM Aura as she ventured into ready-to-wear, following her presentation at “Marry Me at Marriott.”
Internationally renowned brass and jewelry smith Neil Felipp also opened his boutique at The Peninsula Manila shortly after the launch of his collaboration with fashion designer Kelvin Morales.
Notable collabs
Other notable collabs came in the form of Lakat x Nazareno/Lichauco for the former’s sneaker collection using pineapple fibers. R.A.F. Manila tapped Martin Bautista for a holiday collab for women who want to celebrate their individuality.
For the United Nations Day celebration, the Zonta Club of Makati and Environs Foundation Inc. partnered with various designers to promote sustainable fashion.
Industrial designer and jeweler Kristine Dee joined forces with longtime friend, mindfulness and sustainability advocate Christine Dychiao, for a one-of-a-kind customizable collection featuring gemstones. Meanwhile, Katriana Batu and Juni Rollan are working hard to promote lab-grown gems as attainable and ethical options for jewelry lovers.
The parade of intricately done gowns and barong on the red carpet at the State of the Nation Address is a strong reminder of the diversity and richness of talent of local fashion designers. These are also perennially apparent during Bench Fashion Week, which continues to lend its runway at the Bench Tower to highlight creations by both well-established and just-starting-out local designers. Le Ngok’s Carla Zhiang, in particular, had the audience enthralled by her combination of craft and fashion in depicting her mental health journey.
“Marry Me at Marriott” likewise celebrates young and established Filipino bridal couturiers from all over the country and abroad, not only presenting the current trends in the wedding scene but also the skill and craftsmanship of our own designers and crafters.
Weavers
Artefino carries on with its advocacy of honoring Philippine fashion by supporting local artists and partner communities. Likhang Habi Market Fair, as always, put Philippine fabrics front and center as the Habi: The Philippine Textile Council pushes on with their effort to widen their reach in helping the weaving community. This year, it launched the “Sponsor a Weaver” program to help bolster opportunities for weavers from remote areas.
Diplomats and their families from various countries strutted down the runway wearing pieces from SM Fashion and Kultura for the benefit of vulnerable women, children, and people with disabilities from all over the Philippines at the “Diplomats for a Cause” fashion show organized by Spouses of the Heads of Mission Manila.
Various local designers were also featured at the “Sinag at Saya” fashion presentation at SM Aura that preceded the lighting of the mall’s iconic Christmas tree.
TernoCon wrapped up its third edition with “TernoCon: Kasarinlan, Kultura, Kasuotan” fashion show and a subsequent fashion exhibit at the Mall of Asia, and entered its 2025 edition under a new artistic director, Ricardo Eric Cruz, with Gino Gonzales as artistic consultant.
The fourth TernoCon introduced 12 finalists and two semifinalists who will present their capsule collections next year, comprised of a terno with a panuelo; a balintawak with a tapis and an alampay; and, a new inclusion, a kimona with an alampay and a patadyong.
Culture
During a notable Manila visit by The Business of Fashion founder and editor in chief Imran Ahmed, he surmised that while tapping into local culture may be more of a market opportunity for fashion entrepreneurs than anything, he didn’t think it’s a fad for the customers who want to show support by wearing designs that reflect their own cultures.
A lesson on longevity came from Longchamp CEO Jean Cassegrain when he talked about the family business that was founded in 1948 and is still creating trends and beloved classics. “It’s not a matter of age. It’s more a matter of style, of values, of what you aspire to,” he said during his brief but long-overdue visit to the Philippines.
Clarifying that timeless does not mean unchanging, he continued: “We are changing all the time. We are renewing all the time. We are introducing new ideas all the time. But we hope that with these ideas, these new products, you will feel like wearing them for a long time, that they will remain current and wearable today.”
And it seems the unveiling of Tod’s new look at Greenbelt 4 as well as the recent opening of several other luxury brands in Cebu’s Nustar Resort and Casino’s The Mall—including Givenchy, Kenzo, Loewe, and Versace—herald a fierce comeback for these luxury labels.
This year’s Paris Fashion Week had esteemed fashion houses reflecting on various facets of fashion and femininity. But these brands aren’t just busy setting fashion trends. This year has also seen a boom in demand for designer perfumes, with shops upon shops of luxe fragrances now inhabiting premium spaces in high-end malls. Just check out that ground floor wing of Greenbelt 5, or a section of Power Plant Mall. We hear more of these luxe fragrance and beauty brands, led by Hermès no less, are set to descend upon SM Mall of Asia.
As Filipinos’ appetite for self-expression grows bigger and bigger, the future of fashion is looking—and smelling—lovelier and lovelier. INQ