By C. Mendez Legaspi

ON its 11th year, Philippine Fashion Week (PFW) finds a comfortable home at the state-of-the-art SMX Convention Center and SM Mall of Asia. Fashionistas, trendinistas and the simply curious hardly complained navigating the lengthy escalators to and from convention halls just to witness the smoothest staging of shows in recent years. v All things fashionable—from the marvelous to the mediocre, to the can’t-get-enough-of collections to those that were a complete waste of time (and fabric)—were given their Warholian moment in the spotlight. So only a few, therefore, persists in memory.

“I think that joining PFW is a great marketing tool. I get to show my clients and other people my new designs and concepts in making clothes. I guess it’s a new learning experience for me every year and a chance to attract more clients,” John Paras, 23, says.

“I was thinking of Blair Waldorf [Gossip Girls]. She was my inspiration for my collection. I tried to play around with classic silhouettes but altered them to make them fun and young. I used printed silk, dull satin, illusion tulle and acrylic and glass beads,” Paras says. “Fashion is my first love and my passion. I think I will have more enjoyable years to come.”

For his part, design-contest veteran Chrys Diaz says of his vision for PFW: “The look is World Tribe. The vision is of women in Paris, New York or Milan wearing Philippine-made, tribal-inspired garments with their favorite American or European designer labels. I was thinking of two different style inspirations and fusing them together—1900s riding habit (for my cinched waist-peplum silhouette) and luxe ’70s interiors (for the rich-boho vibe). I used dyed cotton damask, satin, fringe, beaded brocade and faux furs.”

What benefit is he expecting from participating in PFW, the biggest gathering of local talents in the country produced by Runway Productions? “My existence as a designer [will be known] and also to raise my market value,” the fast-rising 30-year-old talent says.

Being in PFW also affords a fashionable new lease on life for some. Gionna Cabrera, Binibining Pilipinas 2005 and Miss Photogenic at Miss Universe the same year, wants to spread her brand of beauty by creating unique bags.

“Since I am designing and manufacturing wooden hand and clutch bags, I thought of something that would have the flair to make a statement everywhere—as in a one-of-a-kind ‘Verdant Vitale’ or lush life bag collection,” the gracious beauty queen explains. “The life in the wood is timeless, as in hand-carried furniture pieces that exude stylish identity for the collector/wearer. My inspiration is surreal nature and vintage jewelry.”

She used Philippine Mahogany wood as her main medium for her stylish-bag creations. In the Verdant Vitale collection, she incorporated other materials like Swarovski crystals and polyurethane-paint lacquer, “depending on what goes with the design in my mind.”

With this new career direction, Cabrera, 25, maintains that PFW is a great ally. “The benefit for each designer would be the experience in having showcased a collection in the most awaited convention of fashion. You could expect better response for your brand, better recall after such an exposure,” she says. “You can position your brand in a wider scale, not just for the local niche market that’s already available to you.”

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ON its 11th year, Philippine Fashion Week (PFW) finds a comfortable home at the state-of-the-art SMX Convention Center and SM Mall of Asia.

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