MILAN, Italy – Homegrown Filipino designers earned praise from Italian fashion industry insiders in Milan with a showcase that reimagined Philippine raw materials into contemporary fashion pieces.
During Milan Fashion Week in September, 12 Filipino brands presented apparel, jewelry, and luxury bags made from indigenous Philippine materials at the FASHIONPhilippines showcase at Fondazione Sozzani.
Danielle Purzuelo of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), told GMA News that the participating brands underwent a series of business development sessions with industry experts.
“The Filipino brands are ready for export and market exposure here in Europe,” said Purzuelo, who also led the Philippine delegation, which included the Philippine Fashion Coalition and Lip Fashion Consultancy.
Industrial engineer-turned-designer Vin Orias presented his luxury bags made from solihiya–the famous hexagonal strips of handwoven rattan that are mostly used for furniture. Orias presented his iconic Solihiya rollers barrel bag, incorporating handwoven patterns into modern silhouettes.
For him, the sessions, which included creative planning and mentoring, improved his sense for market trends locally and globally.
“The mentoring sessions we’ve experienced here gave me the sense na kailangan namin mag-focus more on leveling up sa quality and storytelling and presentation. That’s another perspective,” the 39-year-old Manileño designer told GMA News. “Although these bags sell at home, in a very challenging market like here in Italy, we need designs with our finer details.”
(The mentoring sessions gave us the sense that we need to focus more on leveling up our [brands’] quality, storytelling, and presentation.)
In Italy, the cost of solihiya weaving is computed per hole–different from the Philippines, where it is calculated per square foot. Vin Orias quips that he wanted to increase prices, but he wants his products to remain affordable and accessible to Filipino customers. Photo: Andy Peñafuerte III
Getting the nod
The Philippine showcase at Fondazione Sozzani, a former industrial building turned cultural hub, drew fashionistas, couturiers, and industry insiders who closely examined the Filipino apparel and craftsmanship.
Among those at the opening reception on September 22 was Sabrina Damasa, co-founder of Milan-based recruitment and consultancy agency Between Design Research.
Damasa spoke with several Filipino designers and asked about their techniques and use of Filipino fabrics.
She singled out the denim and tailoring work of designers such as Bagasaó and Renz Reyes.
“I love the work in denim of Bagasaó and also the work of Renz Reyes as he used denim in a very particular way, including Japanese denim and silk organza,” Damasa told GMA News.
Damasa, whose company hires fashion consultants and researchers, admitted that there was an “interesting reality” in Philippine design and handicraft that she was previously unaware of.
“We didn’t expect such an incredible work close to couture for some tailoring,” she said. “We’re very glad we came and met them.”
“We hope to keep in touch with them for possible consultancy,” she added.
Asked whether Filipino brands have a place in Milan’s fashion scene, Damasa said she would continue following the designers and ask them to send their portfolios.
“We would love to go to the Philippines and visit these designers one day,” she said.
The delegation and the project also drew technical input from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), particularly in promoting Philippine fabrics and indigenous materials.
Zailla Payag, technology transfer head at the DOST-Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI), said developing durable tropical textiles can take two to three years of research and development to ensure they meet local and global market standards.
“When we hear ‘Philippine textiles’, ang naaalala natin ay our heritage o pang-costume lang (we remember only our heritage or how they are used in costumes). But we are offering a new take with science and innovation,” Payag told GMA News.
She also noted that the country’s vast array of natural materials, including pineapple fibers gathered as agricultural byproducts and upcycled waste, leaves so much to the imagination of homegrown designers.
“We can do so much with them: we can develop textile fibers and yarn, or convert them into fabrics. Our research is offered to the public. And yes, we are proud of our heritage, but when we add science and innovation to it, we can offer amazing products and textiles to the world.”
For CITEM’s Danielle Purzuelo, the event also showed foreign brands they could source Philippine fabrics, which could positively impact the rural communities that create and supply these materials.
“What Philippine fashion is known for is premium craftsmanship. It’s slow fashion, and most of these designers are using different products and raw materials to create something new. They have been working with different artisans and making sure that traditions of artisans are also being continued,” she said.
“Nakakataba ng puso dahil kayang-kaya nilang makipag-compete sa pinakamagagaling na designers dito sa Milan (It’s heartwarming because our designers can really compete with the best designers here in Milan),” Philippine Consul General in Milan Jim Tito San Agustin said.
Impact of EU-Philippines free trade deal
The showcase coincided with a major economic milestone: the signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Philippines and the European Union.
San Agustin underscored how zero tariffs under the pact will elevate local creative industries.
“It’s a big thing that the Free Trade Agreement between the Philippines and the EU has been signed. It means zero tariffs for most products from the Philippines to the EU, so we can compete better with other Asian countries that already have free trade agreements. We will be more competitive,” San Agustin told GMA News.
“We’re not just talking about products but also services and other areas like intellectual property. For example, if we have designers who want to do business with Europe, they can bring many of their products here free of tariffs, unlike before.”
For DTI-CITEM’s Danielle Purzuelo, the Philippines’ Milan Fashion Week showcase demonstrates how Philippine textiles can be used for contemporary clothing and high-quality products. Photo: Andy Peñafuerte III
Purzuelo added that zero tariffs “would help a lot of artists, designers, and brands” as the FTA would allow them “to access and create relationships with the European market.”
“Hopefully the FTA will carry on in our next projects, not only in fashion and design but also in creative industries in particular,” Purzuelo said. — VBL, GMA News
