A FRESH crop of dynamic clothing designers emerged from the Bench Design Awards (BDA). Held as the finale show at Bench Fashion Week Holiday 2017 at the Bench Tower in Bonifacio Global City, the competition attracted imaginative creative types so plentiful in the Philippines.
The judges were Akiko Shinoda, director of international affairs, Tokyo Fashion Week; Hideya Yokoi, editor/creative director, Rocket Company; Mitsugu Sudo, editor/creative director, Rocket Company; Tetta Ortiz-Matera, who connected the Japanese fashion bigwigs with Bench head honcho Ben Chan, the chairman of the board.
Of the 10 finalists, who each made eight-piece looks, 3 were chosen to represent the country at Amazon Tokyo Fashion Week in October.
Jennifer Contreras, 23, put forth a collection that’s provocative without being vulgar. RJ Santos, 27, presented nostalgic pieces with musical roots. And Jaggy Glarino gave a colorful glimpse of familiar childhood references.
Jennifer Contreras (@jennipepperonie)
I WAS inspired by Romina Ressia’s anachronisms and the strong renaissance influence in her works, Fly Art, Stanley Kubrick films, and the viral memes
of Cecilia Azcarate. The idea was to project the contrasts and similarities of two very different eras with themes, such as sex, liberty and angst, and project perverse and dark messages in a colorful and vibrant way. It took me about two months to finish the collection. I used fabrics that are accessible and well-supplied, like knits for t-shirts and sweaters, wool, shirtings, chiffon, etc. Fashion is a business before anything else, so being able to reproduce and sell should be a priority.
There was a point when I decided to stop designing clothes. I felt like I wasn’t really good and I have no talent for it. I stopped for almost a year and I didn’t really plan on designing clothes again, but when I found out about BDA, I don’t know, I just had this feeling that I absolutely have to join and I absolutely have to win. And, of course, there’s Japan. I remember telling my parents two years ago that in 2017, I’m going to do fashion in Japan. And now it’s coming true! Can you believe it? This was my first competition, and I just feel really happy and excited that I won.
[Winning] means a lot. This is the first time I actually believe that I’m good at this and that taking a fashion-design major at De La Salle College of Saint Benilde wasn’t a mistake. Before BDA, I just felt like I wasn’t any good and that I should take other career paths. Now, designing clothes is all I want to do.I guess one of my strong points as a designer is being able to create wearable and basic pieces, and still make them look editorial for the runway. Because you always have to think of wearability and sellability, but at the same time you want to impress editors and you want to have that wow factor. I guess I just understand the balance. Styling is key.
RJ Santos (@randolfclothing)
THE collection was inspired by my family’s childhood roadtrips across Central Luzon. We would accompany my dad in his business trips to Baguio, Vigan, Dagupan, etc. And my parents would always listen to Abba and Led Zeppelin. It took me around two months to finish the collection for BDA, but the concept was already there even before I decided to join the contest. It’s really what I had planned to release for my Spring/Summer 1018 collection for Randolf, my clothing line.
Initially, I was kind of hesitant to join BDA, because I’ve been rejected by local competitions a number of times and was getting somehow tired of it and just wanted to focus on growing my brand, but I realized the great opportunities and I just decided to give it a shot. The opportunity to do a show in Tokyo, have a pop-up display and be given intensive training on management doesn’t come often.
Winning in the BDA means a lot to me. One of my goals for Randolf is to be able to sell and have stockists abroad, and this opportunity will help me get closer to that goal. I’m currently finishing the whole collection (made of denim, tulle, printed charmeuse, twill) because I still need to add more looks for the show and pop-up.
Jaggy Glarino (@jaggy.homme, @jaggyglarinobridal, @jaggy_glarino)
THIS collection is actually very personal; it is a collage of my childhood. It’s a little different from the last ones I have done in that I tried to be less cerebral this time. I took obvious childhood references and made them into spliced pattern pieces and details similar to how you put a collage together. I wanted it to be familiar and relatable, but not something you can quite pinpoint and identify. The most exciting and the most challenging part about building these pieces is keeping the soul and the emotion intact and making sure that it is “affective”.
[What spurred me to join the BDA] were the prize and the opportunity to showcase my pieces at the Amazon Tokyo Fashion Week, one of the things I’ve been looking forward to tick off my bucket list. I’ve always been told that my works are made for Tokyo or London. I was lucky to have showcased in London before and I am eager to finally do it in Tokyo this time. I wish it’ll be received well.I used to join a few contests when I was still
based in General Santos City, but this is my second time in Manila. My first competition was the Look of Style Awards. I was fortunate enough to win the Lulu Tan-Gan Knitwear Award, which gave me the opportunity to study short courses at the Central Saint Martins in London.
[Winning gives me] the opportunity to showcase my works in Tokyo, a huge deal for young brands like mine. Tokyo is one of the world’s fashion capitals, and the number and the caliber of people who could possibly see what I do is beyond what’s imaginable.To be honest, there are still lots of things to accomplish. I’m still working on additional pieces for the show. Basically, the goal is to be clear about my vision and translate them well into clothes.
Image credits: Photos from Bench/lifestyle+clothing facebook