My Inspirations: Pilipino

At the last Manila Wear show at the Manila Fame, I couldn't help but feel so proud of my fellow designers who presented their collections. Each one did their own take on contemporary Filipino design using local fabrics and pulled off one of the most talked about shows to date. This made me think of what more I could offer as a designer to Philippine design, and eventually the rest of the design world. What more do Filipinos want? What does the rest of the world know about Filipino design? What does the world want from Filipino design? It's a lofty climb to become the design capital of Asia (that's Japan), but armed with skills and determination, I think we can get there. I hope we start with education. It wouldn't be too much to ask design institutions to include Filipino design history as part of their curriculum, right? I really think it's important to know who we are in terms of the arts and design. This way we can find our place in the design world and see the relevance of Filipino design in the international arena. Meanwhile, let's all do our share by supporting and promoting Filipino design, through social media. The more we do this, the more the rest of the world will find out about us. We are the capital of People Power, and no other country can claim that!

Here are some of my Filipiniana work:

Water color and ink on paper. Feb 2012.

Water color and ink on paper. Feb 2012.

From Metrowear 100: Model Sara Kae is wear a leather and taffeta terno with an anting-anting "Kontra Bala" zipper pull. Photo by: Henry Anima II

From Metro Magazine: Ria Bolivar wear a burgundy pina-abaca bubble terno dress.

My Exclusives: Windie

Meet the prettiest doctor in Manila, Windie Hayano. I met her through very good friends and we hit it off instantly. She's been a very loyal client ever since as well. I understood her style right away, and she looks good in a lot of my experimental pieces. Geometric cuts and stark colors work well against her luminous skin. Most of the time, she reminds me of Japanese porcelain dolls. Maybe that's why I like dressing her up in daring cuts and origami-like pieces.

Windie wearing Samurai pants in twill and a georgette, un-lined top that comes with a matching neckpiece to cover the front. She wore it with a stingray cuff and the Tatjana clutch, both by Janina Dizon-Hoschka.

My Drawings: Kyoto

These are a few quick drawings I made while reminiscing about a city I fell in love with. India ink on paper, February, 2012.

My Hobbies: Japan Alphabet

My Japan trip last month was life changing for me. Suddenly, the aesthetic sensibilities of a country I looked up to in my design career, was unfolding in front of me. The symbolisms, the discipline, the harmony and balance of everything they create, opened my mind; and I understood the deeper meaning of respecting the material, the form and the functionality of every creation.  Japanese design does not blatantly scream 'design'. It's about about harmony; with the raw material, the end product and the audience you're sharing it with. So here's my latest travel alphabet. My impressions of an incredible country, thoughtfully photographed and edited in my mind, which I'm now sharing with you.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

My Work: Paper, Scissors, Glue

 Here's what I can do with three of man's greatest inventions; paper, scissors and glue.

From regular bond paper with very sharp scissors and Elmer's glue...

to paper hats and headpieces!

Rows of spikes and cascades of folded paper.

A cascade of criss-crossing folded strips jotting out of a single base.

Floral cap. Each flower is hand cut, curled, tufted and assembled individually before putting them together.

On some of the models: a spike-y mohawk.

A crown of spikes.

Another mohawk.

A full hat with a folded triangles as a brim.

A visor of intertwining spikes.

(Photos taken backstage a the Swatch Dragon Ball, March 15, 2012. Salon de Ning,  Peninsula Manila)