Manila (CNN Philippines Life) — It’s interesting how the interplay between commerce and creativity shows up in most of the shows for Philippine Fashion Week’s holiday collections. Each designer wants to put out sellable pieces, but crossed between product placements and brand collaborations, each outfit that was walked on the runway homed in on the “see now, buy now” practicality of most ready-to-wear pieces. That didn’t mean these pieces were devoid of creative merits. The details of the partnerships between the designers and participating sponsors weren’t immediately known, but it’s actually fascinating how the designs managed to transcend what could have been a simple walking endorsement for the gadget in every model’s hand in their respective shows. There were bags, phone cases, and headphones partnered with maximalist looks, deconstructed menswear, and heavily embroidered dresses.
Overall, 12 shows rounded up an interesting preview of shapes to come for holiday collections. Jerome Salaya Ang’s “Into the Unknown” was easily a standout, a melange of romantic numbers heightened by a sense of danger and whimsy. Noel Crisostomo’s “Love, Nostalgia, and Haute Couture” was equal parts cheeky and frenzied, contrasting playful floral and insect appliques to formal silhouettes. Prints and patterns rained on Jeffrey Rogador and Junjun Cambe’s shows. Indigenous textile showed up in Cherry Veric and Jared Servano’s collections. Amir Sali’s “Simplified Glory” was another highlight, a glittery collection that employed gold tones and transcendent whites to create a spiritual evocation (with worship music blaring in the background). And all throughout, an explosion of embroidery in every part imaginable.
One collection’s theme stood out in particular: Arnold Galang’s peace collection “Stories” pays homage to the themes surrounding the peace process in Mindanao, specifically to the lives of families affected by it. A contrast of light and heavy elements, bird appliques and embroideries, and the use of white and black reflect the elements the National Ambassador for Peace wants to convey, the collection’s sensuousness notwithstanding.
“I got to speak to children who lost their fathers,” shares Galang. “And then I got to see women who are trying to make a living to be able to raise their kids and their families. I went to bag-making industries, I went to the weaving crafts of the women, and this is what you all saw in the video [prior to the show] — realities which I wanted to express in my clothes so that people will feel there’s an urgency to act on it.”
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