Fil-Canadian Fashion Feast

Fil-Canadian Fashion Feast

By Beatrice Paez

Filipinos wear their pride on their sleeve. When it comes to high fashion, Philippine designers infuse their fashion lines with hints of the traditional garb, the terno (butterfly sleeve attire) and indigenous style elements. The localized approach has come to define Philippine fashion, with designers taking old styles to new heights. Now a large fashion collection is set to hit the Canadian stage at Toronto’s inaugural Canada Philippine fashion week.

On a sabbatical trip to Manila, broadcaster-producer Jeff Rustia was struck by the innovative concoctions young and established designers were crafting. An idea for a project soon formed in his mind, to launch a weeklong exhibition of Philippine fashion and culture in his hometown, Toronto.

Filipinos have a gift for mixing high fashion with low fashion, says Rustia. He was amazed to see thrifty finds from Divisoria spun in a different context, paired with couture dresses at a Fashion Institute of the Philippines party.

Though he was still reeling from the death of his son, Kol, who passed away in 2011, he was “reawakened” by what he witnessed.
“People need to see what I see,” he recalls thinking. “Filipino fashion is so underrated. This is an opportunity for us to market the artistry of Filipinos here.”

Rustia had no doubts that Toronto would embrace the event and that it would have a mass appeal that transcends generations. “Canadians are open to learning about other cultures, we knew there was an audience.”

His excitement for the project has been infectious. The Filipino-powered fashion week has recruited the brightest talents from the industry and assembled an army of volunteers, to help run the show.

The result is a smashing collaboration with Filipino designers, Canadian designers, members of the Filipino-Canadian community and other creative types — all are pitching in pro bono.

He notes many of the volunteers are young, second-generation Filipino-Canadians eager to be exposed to their heritage in a new way.  “This is a week where we can be glamorous and socialize with the rest of the community,” he says. “We can show how we can be a rising force.”

The event itself is not without a cause.  The proceeds will fund programs to support children with disabilities in Canada and the Philippines, to be distributed by the Kol Hope Foundation to organizations such as Sick Kids, Easter Seals, World Vision and local charities in the Philippines, Bacolod Boys Home and Holy Infant Home.

JEFF RUSTIA

The Rustia family launched the foundation to honour Kol, who suffered from a fatal genetic syndrome, Trisomy 13. He was expected to live for three months, but he beat the odds and died at the age of 14.

The greater cause, coupled with Rustia’s ties to the Philippine fashion industry, as a culture seeker, has fueled the momentum behind the event. His dream started out eight months ago with words on a napkin and has now become a full-blown reality.

Renowned fashion designers John Ablaza and Francis Libiran also have a creative stake in the event, their collections will be on display at separate events.

Libiran’s 100-dress collection will leave Manila for the first time, which was made for a special exhibit to mark the Manila Hotel’s centennial anniversary, and will fill the lobby of Roy Thompson Hall. While Ablaza’s 45-piece collection is a gesture to the past, featuring Filipiniana styles from Rizal’s era, to be previewed at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

He also managed to land the exclusive right to premiere the costume-driven documentary, Jose Rizal, the First Hero, at TIFF. The film opening is a tribute to the iconic national hero, also featuring a traveling, curated exhibit of Rizal’s personal belongings and clothing.

Expect special treats as well, says Rustia. He hints that several of Rizal’s favourite dishes will be taking a new form, for instance, pinakbet empanadas. It was a feat to pin the menu down, given that Rizal had a long list of favourite foods.

But the greatest challenge was the one he set for participating fashion designers, to come up with new designs that express a new interpretation of Philippine fashion.

Within a timetable of two months, 14 Filipino fashion designers, including Geoffrey Zordilla, Nino Angeles, Kim Gan, spun together three to five looks that drew elements from local festivals like Ati-Atihan, Sinulog, Moriones and Flores de Mayo.

Pistahan de Couture is a subtle play on the masks and costumes that people adorn themselves with at festivals, rather than a literal interpretation of their attire. Initially, the designers were set to remake old designs, but the theme inspired them to start from scratch.

Rommel, the former creative director of Miss Universe Canada, who curated the show, was impressed by everyone’s output. Pinoy pride is at the heart of every detail sewn in, he says, when asked what makes Filipino fashion distinct.

Filipinos have a global outlook as well, adds Rustia, they are conscious about trends but are also rooted to their heritage, which has been influenced by many different cultures.

Fashion is the ultimate unifier for Rustia, who believes it can be the vehicle for introducing the wider world to Philippine culture, because it crosses borders so seamlessly, with countries constantly swapping ideas and adding tweaks to designs.

The fashion week is also cultural exchange of sorts, in Project Terno, a challenge was extended to Canadian designers to deconstruct the terno. Though he was tight-lipped about the specifics of the launch, he says the designers pushed the limits, citing one from Montreal that sought to make it a unisex piece.

“Don’t be surprised if you see a terno made out of knit, jersey or leather,” he hints.

A leather terno is definitely a sight to see.