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One fashion show after another in the city
This month saw the city see two fashion shows back to back: first came industry stalwart Philippine Fashion Week on October 15, then BYS Fashion Week, now rebranded as Manila Fashion Week (its first show with that name), the very next day.
The Philippine Fashion Week featured a one-day show at the Ayala Museum, featuring designers Jaggie Glarino, Ram Silva and Jerome Salaya in collaboration with Ang and chocolate brand Toblerone. Meanwhile, Manila Fashion Week featured a four-day showcase (from October 16 to 19) at multiple venues including the SM Aura Premiere with designers Andrea Tetangco, Don't Blame the Kids (DBTK), Chris Nicks, Vina Romero, OXGN, Inigo, Randolph and Victor.
philippine fashion week
The October 15 Ayala Museum show featured a heist theme to promote Toblerone's new product, diamond-shaped Toblerone Truffles. It's no surprise that some of the clothes remind one of chocolate: For example, Mr. Ang opened his show with a model in a dark brown velvet dress with a sweetheart neckline, all covered in gold. A pleated brown dress draped beautifully over the bust, with a matching pleated cape (in an interview, she talked about imitating the effect of melting chocolate).
We saw a sequined bra with a skirt, crystals and hooks holding the dress up at the hips, followed by a more noticeable burgundy gown that was reminiscent of a monk's habit. Another dress had black pleats forming a fichu, which snaked around a model's shoulders like an ammonite.
Mr. Silva showed red and black dresses: The first dress was impressively sombre, featuring a black long-sleeve gown, a high neck and a floor-length straight skirt, with an airy cloud of tulle forming a veil. Meanwhile, the red dresses appeared to be mirror images of their black counterparts, but with modifications (the red partner would be off-the-shoulder, or something).
Meanwhile, Mr. Glarino showed sexy and cozy using chocolate-brown wool, such as in a dress with golden ribbons on the body (with models holding boxes of Toblerone). Other gray garments emerged, such as a vest and baggy pants on the male models, and a sienna suit with a gold beaded tank underneath it. There was little else to say other than appreciation for Mr. Glarino's creation, which is evident in details like the embellishments on the gown.
Finally, the models came out wearing Toblerone truffles attached to jewelery to end the show (as well as a male model “security guard” eating the truffles in a strange play on the pretense that he stole them).
manila fashion week
Due to scheduling conflicts, we were able to attend only one show that season, Randolph by designer Randolph Santos, on October 19.
In a recently constructed tent on the rooftop of SM Aura, a broken heart decorated in velvet served as the backdrop for the show. In a backstage interview after the show he said, “I wanted to explore the feeling of passion: one-sided love; ultimately losing myself in the process. But I also wanted to end it on a positive note by realizing my self-worth.”
Cupid's arrows graced several looks on the runway, including a bralette in green tulle that was so voluminous it looked like grass. The designer's special brand of irreverence was seen on the runway, which included iridescent teal and pink tracksuits featuring the messy embroidery he's known for. There was a girly tutu with creepy crawlies scattered everywhere, and a short suit with cartoon patterns, as well as a royal blue ribbed sweater with a giant tear in the shape of a heart.
Royal blue made its appearance in a parody of Pia Wurtzbach's winning gown, with torn pageant sashes scattered throughout, and a giant version draped as a cape, embroidered with the words “Miss You”. There was a lot of craziness on the runway, with plenty of opportunities for online virality.
Wearing a trained bubble skirt with heart-shaped darts, a garter waist that was reminiscent of boxing (not boxer) shorts, and a sheer and tight top with nothing underneath, she closed the show with an impressive mimiuuuh.
Mr. Santos did something unprecedented for a designer in this city: He came to the runway with his team. “They were the ones who really created it. It's their technique. It's their craft. I really wanted to highlight that in this collection: to showcase the techniques that we've created over the years,” he explains. Businessworld.
Change
In an opening speech, Executive Director and Manila Fashion Week Director John Lozano said that DOST-PTRI (Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Textile Research Institute) supplied some textiles for use in the show; Mr. Santos used one himself Pina Mix in some jackets from their show. “Some Filipinos don't need to look traditional,” Mr. Lozano told us in an interview. “But if we incorporate Filipino elements, or at least, it's made by Filipinos, then it's Filipino.”
In the second section of his speech he said, “There's really a lot of division in our country. It seems like everyone wants to do their own thing. I don't know if it's because we're an archipelago; we're (in) islands, and people are used to being independent; used to being separate.”
He said, “We're just wired to think that we're all independent thinkers. Or really, we're just selfish.” “I choose to believe in the former, not the latter.
“I think tonight's show… is the perfect closing statement that Manila Fashion Week wants to leave for everyone. At the end of it all, all we really need is love. Love for each other, for our country and for ourselves,” he said. “With love, no one will try to outdo each other, betray each other, or even steal from each other.”
In an interview, Mr. Lozano talked about the rebrand of Manila Fashion Week from BYS Fashion Week (which declared its allegiance to a cosmetics brand). “I saw the need for a fashion week that could represent the country. It's been decades. I've been waiting for something like this to happen. When we got the opportunity to do it, we thought, 'Why not?'”
He also discussed the lineup: “I really wanted to highlight designers who see themselves as brands,” he said. “Designers who have a unique identity and point of view.”
Earlier that week, we talked to Philippine Fashion Week co-founder Joey Espino about his lineup: “Past, present, future,” he said, without revealing who was who.
Philippine Fashion Week is returning to the runways after a few years of hiatus during and before the pandemic. “We have to make sure we get it done at the right time, with the right energy for everyone. It's not just about our event. Designers must be ready, and the market must be ready, too.”
Founders from two different fashion weeks talked to us about back-to-back fashion shows this season.
Mr. Espino said, “We're happy for them. We used to be very good friends – they're still our friends. I'm telling them it's good for the Philippine market, so everything is being activated. We have 130 million Filipinos, and we also have a lot of Filipino designers and brands. It will be good for everyone.”
Mr. Lozano said, “I'm glad there are so many fashion weeks. For us, we can only take eight (designers) per season. There's a lot of talent in the Philippines. The more people hold their own fashion weeks, the better. There are more chances for people to show up.
“This season, we started inviting the international press,” he said, referring to media guests from Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand. “That's really the goal: for the whole world to see that in the Philippines, in Manila, we have a thriving fashion scene.” , Joseph L. Garcia
