DAVAO CITY—Just as the Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival is a thanksgiving celebration for bountiful harvests, the first Kadayawan Ball is a fête for the boundless creativity of the region’s fashion designers.
The ball, the brainchild of the 2018 Kadayawan Council and steered by the dynamic Davao Fashion and Design Council Foundation Inc. (DFDC), is an apparel design competition that aims to uplift the neophyte talents who want to break into the fashion industry. “May this ball reinvigorate the enthusiasm of the Dabawenyo designers and design enthusiasts alike to continue to promote the beauty of Dabawenyo and Mindanaoan culture, and to push the envelope and innovate while at the same time honoring and respecting each traditional design, color and symbol sacred to the tribes,” Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said in her welcome speech.
Twenty finalists took inspiration from the 11 tribes of Davao: Sama, Maranao, Tagabawa, Iranun, Tausug, Ata, Klata-Guiangan, Ovu-Manuvo, Matigsalog, Kagan and Maguindanaon. Each finalist submitted creations for womenswear and menswear integrating indigenous details, fabrics and embellishments.
“The Kadayawan Ball produced a lot of good entries with different silhouettes and techniques. I’m very proud and really happy with the designers that the council have mentored. We invited all local designers to join in the biggest fashion design competition in the region,” said Dodjie Batu, the committee head of the ball. The finals was held at SM Lanang Premier at midafternoon, as the city elders frown on evening activities. The winners were chosen by an impressive panel of judges: Panasonic Manila Fashion Festival’s Ronnie Cruz and design stalwarts Lulu Tan-Gan, Rajo Laurel, John Herrera and Cary Santiago.
Christopher “Toping” Zamora, 34, emerged the grand champion, winning P150,000 cash. His entry, “Orden de Vida” (Order of Life), was inspired by the Pangulabe, or the beadworking technique of the Bagobo Tagabawa tribe in Lubogan, Toril.
“I molded clay. I created triangle, diamond and round patterns and used them as an embellishment. I was able to create abstract patterns like the Philippine Eagle, the durian, Mount Apo and waling-waling, all that are symbolic of Davao,” Zamora explained.
He used skin tone, earth gray and white. The embellishments were in white hues because the Pangulabe has a white base, symbolizing peace, when they create patterns.
“I was also inspired by the symbolic representation of the triangle of God [manama], man [manobo] and earth [banwa],” said Zamora, a business administration major in management graduate from Ateneo de Davao. “I chose the Bagobo Tagabawa tribe because they are close to my heart. I did my immersion for my creative research with them, and I had worked with them for several projects.”
For his dazzling pieces, Zamora used banana fiber as his main fabric for the sheer gown worn by Joanna Alajar, and banana fiber for the single-armed tuxedo for Tom Casas with dacron wool for the pants.
“Winning for me is a proof of faith. I started late as a fashion designer because I was managing our family business after college. To be a fashion designer was a childhood dream, so I decided to study fashion design and pursue my dream,” Zamora shared. “So here I am now living my dream after graduating from my second course, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion from the Philippine Women’s College. God really surprises us. Failures and challenges all make sense when He reveals His plans for you.”
The second place, and P75,000 cash, went to Richard Pulatche, 31, for his “Tanor of Bara-Bangsa” entry. “I tried to make the Inaul fabric wearable but at the same time respecting the traditional weave of the Maguindanaon people of the Cotabato region. Having clients from that area gave me a sense of familiarity with the fabric and its artistic potential,” Pulatche explained. Using contemporary lines, the bodice of the glamorous gown worn by Paulene Schweitzer was an amalgam of fabrics and textures (peau de xoie, organza, illusion/soft tulle). The Inaul was cut out into tiny pleats, the bodice was embroidered to simulate banig weaving and all were outlined with gold beading. The skirt was made of full-bias organza with hand-sewn yarn of burgundy and yellow gold threads to mimic a striped effect. The whole ensemble was pulled together with a burgundy satin belt that ended in an origami ribbon at the back. Male model Patrick Paña wore a three-piece modern take of the tuxedo jacket with ethnic Inaul accents on the coattails.
“Winning further added confidence on my creative potential, and it opened up a lot of design possibilities using our own Mindanao cultural references and traditions,” Pulatche said. The wings of the Deya, a fairy of local folklore, inspired the third place-winning entry of Mark Joseph Sayad, 28. For Jeriza Uy, Sayad created an A-line, red
carpet-ready ballgown using tulle, woven abaca, Mindanaoan beads and Inaul from the Maguindanaons. He used the same treatment for the prince-cut suit of JJ Hernandez.
“Winning isn’t about the prize,” Sayad said of the P50,000 cash. “It’s about an image. And I’m very thankful and happy.”
Almost making it to the winning circle, and my personal bet, was “The Oppression,” the elegant entry of Aries Buenvenida, 31, inspired by the Tausug supernatural spirit called Jinn.
“One of the characteristics of a Jinn is that it oppresses animals, trees and most especially humans. The most important reason why they do so is because they fall in love with the living things and want to possess them. So that’s the flow of my design,” he said.
“It’s like the Jinn is coming to take over the two beautiful humans [Mia Madel and Dely Daniles] who are about to get married, royalty-style, with the black gazaar serving as the Jinn and the gold as the original spirit of the humans,” Buenvenida explained.
He used Pis Syabit, a woven cloth made exclusively by the Tausug, made of cotton and gold thread. The embellishments were black feathers, beads and crystals for more texture, wood cuffs, metallic trimmings. The Pis Syabit, in Buenvenida’s arc, serves as the amulet for the humans so they won’t get overpowered by the Jinn.
What’s next for the winners besides the prestige that comes with winning?
“Designers whom we deem to be a good team player and would be an asset to DFDC would be surely invited to join us. Minor tweaks will be ironed out, especially since it’s the first time a competition of this caliber has been held,” Batu said.
Image credits: KADAYAWAN SA DABAW FACEBOOK PAGE