An Exploration of Contrasts: Leo Bartolome

PHOTOGRAPHY Jerick Sanchez

“I’d never have imagined that at this point in time and with my age, I could still start a clothing brand,” Leo Bartolome confesses. The designer behind sustainable streetwear label, Edited Limited, is dazzled by the newness of it all. Although he’s been content standing adjacent to fashion design for the better part of 15 years, he’s never held the reins himself—until now. Debuting its first full collection at FILIPINXT, which in early 2025 became the premier all-Filipino fashion show to be officially included in the New York Fashion Week calendar, Edited Limited actually began as a sub-label under Adante Leyesa, the namesake brand helmed by Bartolome’s business and lifelong partner of 18 years.

For the historic runway, Edited Limited’s staple use of heavy structured fabrics, dark monochromes, raw and imperfect edges, genderless silhouettes, and deconstructed finishes match Adante Leyesa’s bright, tactile, extravagant femininity. The result, in Bartolome’s words, was an exploration of contrasts.

Let’s talk about Edited Limited’s collection for FILIPINXT + New York Fashion Week 2025. What were your inspirations for it?

Tough Love, literally and figuratively, is the backbone of the whole collection. Our two brands’ conflicting design principles and styles resulted in plenty of struggles, negotiations, and considerations between [Leyesa and I]. The rose, an element visible in the majority of the looks, also represents this.

The process of gathering and working with very limited materials—leftover fabric trimming, factory scraps, bits from secondhand clothing—and applying tedious hand-stitching techniques to seal our signature details was also tough love.

What piqued your fascination with the silhouettes, textures, and fabrics you’ve used in this collection? 

Edited Limited is known to favor denim; it’s apparent in 40% of the collection. The whole collection was a balance of textures and a juxtaposition of materials and palettes. The use of hard and rugged denim, combined with flowy silk organza, became visually pleasing on the runway. Another standout was a raw-edged fringe skirt combined with an interesting avocado green button-down and an armor-like sleeveless bow top for added drama.

The colors used were also intentional. The collection started with a deconstructed denim jacket featuring dominant red appliques, symbolizing my joy and excitement when I first learned that I would be doing the show, as well as my passion and dedication in creating the looks. Black signifies my fears and worries when reality started to bite, and I realized my limitations as a designer. Blue represents my newfound confidence when each look finally began to come together. It also means hope—not just for my brand, but for our community artisans and the Filipino fashion industry. And finally, green, which represents my growth as a designer as well as sustainability.

Emotions were greatly instrumental in building the collection. It was deeply personal for me because this is my very first full collection, and it also happened to debut on a major international platform: New York Fashion Week.

But more than the negative feelings of fear, shame, and anxiety that I experienced during the design process, I wanted my audience to absorb the positive energy of my collection. Sustainability has always been the core and DNA of my brand. More important than beauty is the intention and purpose of creating meaningful clothes that impact the communities and environments we live in.

You collaborated with Adante Leyesa for this collection. How did the tie-up come to be? What was the most fascinating part of this collection’s creation process? Any interesting stories to share about it?

My journey as a [sustainability-focused] designer only began in 2022. Ever since I started in the fashion accessories business 15 years ago, I always felt more comfortable working as a supporting act, doing all the paperwork, marketing, and logistics behind my design partner, Adante Leyesa. Then came this opportunity to showcase side-by-side with him, on a global stage.

Creating this collection was a rollercoaster ride. There were lots of intense emotions, abrupt changes, plenty of revisions, considerations, and challenges. Two creative minds in collaboration can be advantageous, but most of the time, it ends in disaster. Two brands, having conflicting styles and aesthetics—it was certainly a struggle to move forward. With only two months to plan and finish the 15-piece collection, pulling this off felt next to impossible.

But Adante and I, with 18 years of being together both as business and lifelong partners, have a [singular] dynamic. Although we argue a lot, we know that we complement each other.

This collection represents our personal story and the journey that we want to share to our audience. Both of our styles had to be evident and present in each of the looks. Though contrasting in nature, when mixed and combined together, there is harmony and balance. Although I did the apparel and he did the accessories and bags, we made sure that the result [showcased us both] on equal footing.

Could you tell us more about your brand and how it’s evolved through the years? What are your dreams for it?

Edited Limited is built on the tenets of sustainability. We’re an innovative and contemporary streetwear brand that proudly uses deadstock materials, old garments, and refurbished scrap fabrics. It is not a mainstream brand, but it’s not a secret either. I’d say we’ve already established our distinct look and have developed a following. We always make sure that each piece is beautiful, well- crafted, and has a handmade element to it. It is categorized as slow fashion.

I want to strengthen my production processes by involving more artisans onboard. My dream is to reach a wider market internationally, eyeing to sell in specialized boutiques like Dover Street Market and doing collaborations with mainstream brands.

Could you tell us a little bit about your career background?

I worked for 13 years as a program specialist handling economic empowerment projects for international non-government organizations. Then, in 2010, three years before finally quitting my day job, my partner and I started Adante Leyesa—his namesake—a small fashion business selling bags and accessories. I was tasked with being his design consultant, as well as doing all the business’ paperwork, marketing, sales, and logistics.

I was always happy and content working behind the scenes because I’m not really comfortable in the limelight. Maybe this was also the reason I didn’t pursue starting my own brand for the longest time despite encouragement from Adante and some of my designer friends.They would always try and convince me to start a clothing brand because they said I had the potential, the eye, and the taste for it. Plus, I love clothes. Another thing that hindered me was a lack of confidence: I was not schooled to be a designer. I never want to be in a situation without proper planning and preparation. It was only recently that I took a special class in fashion and pattern-making at Slim’s Fashion & Arts School to develop my skills.

Then the pandemic hit us hard. The demand for our accessories and bags declined. To save the company and continue providing income to our workforce, our urgent solution was for me to create a sub-label of clothing, still under the Adante Leyesa brand. Eventually, we decided to separate it and name it Edited Limited. At the time, we didn’t have access to suppliers, since the country was on lockdown and we were based in Lipa. So, we started working with existing clothes from our closets: when I had opportunities to travel before the pandemic, I would buy clothes— even if they didn’t fit me—because just staring at them would inspire me. I also owned lots of damaged Japanese denim. At first, we only tweaked clothes, refashioning and jazzing them up for our customers. Then when our production strengthened, we started creating our own fabric and developing our own designs.