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<p><span>These six young designers are telling stories beyond their years. From cathartic collections about self-worth and womanhood to exploring sociological topics,&nbsp;</span><span>they&rsquo;ve wielded fashion as a means to raise their distinct voices through the fabric.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">Jilliane Santos</p>

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<p><span>Losing her parents at a young age has shaped how Jilliane Santos sees transformation. A continuous process of breaking and rebuilding, her graduation collection, </span><span>From Fragments to Form:&nbsp;</span><span>The Art of Rebirth</span><span>, is a reimagination of personal evolution and resiliency. From repurposing scrap fabric and incorporating dying Filipino crafts, like wood carvings from Paete, the collection was inspired by the strength of these materials, cultures, and people, surviving through the ever-changing world. </span></p>
<p><span>Through the use of&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">piña cotton, zero-waste textiles, and </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">bitukling </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">wood, she sought to not only focus on aesthetics but also honor sustainability and cultural heritage. &ldquo;Fashion isn&rsquo;t just about fabric and stitches; it&rsquo;s about the people behind it,&rdquo; says Santos. By intertwining local craftsmanship with conventional textiles, she aims to bridge tradition and modernity to preserve the identities and stories of Filipino artistry.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">Alessandra Caamic</p>

<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Alessandra Caamic&rsquo;s thesis collection is a voyage of self-discovery. Breaking free from gender norms and celebrating fluidity, her collection </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Balud </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">(the Bisaya word for &lsquo;waves&rsquo;) envisions gender and fashion as ever-moving, unpredictable, and with no fixed boundaries. Inspired by the abstract forms of tidal waves and corals, she played with the idea of deconstructing the traditional </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">barong </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">by softening its silhouette and manipulating fabrics in the&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">process. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">The details also pull inspiration from seaweeds, sea grapes, and sea creatures. Through this collection, Caamic embraces limitless self-expression and boundless fluidity. &ldquo;I want to convey that self-expression is not confined to any restrictions, that fashion is not dictated by gendered categories, but rather that our clothing can be as diverse and fluid as our identities,&rdquo; the designer notes.</span></p>

<p style="text-align: center;">Serena San Jose</p>

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<p><span>&ldquo;Fashion is a means for us to tell our stories. When words aren&rsquo;t enough, clothes can be,&rdquo; Serena San Jose explains. The designer&rsquo;s graduation collection, </span><span>KASAKDALAN ng dahas at laman, </span><span>embodies the intersection of transsexuality and body horror, reflecting on the pilgrimage of a trans individual towards gender euphoria. It&rsquo;s an ode to reclaiming one&rsquo;s body, celebrating all its rawness. The collection&rsquo;s visuals are also enshrined with religious imagery, drawing inspiration from Ecclesiastes 3:20: </span><span>&ldquo;</span><span>All are of&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">the dust, and all turn to dust again.&rdquo; </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Signifying an acceptance&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">of the impermanence of the human form, materials like latex&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">and kombucha leather are utilized to resemble skin and flesh, mirroring the theme of transformation and decomposition. The constricting silhouettes also resonate with the trans community&rsquo;s view of body dysmorphia, each look revealing more, showing their perpetual journey to liberation.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">Lei Abanto</p>

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<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Nature has a profound way of inspiring art. Lei Abanto&rsquo;s fascination with a moth&rsquo;s metamorphosis and the intricacy of its wings birthed her collection, aptly called </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Lepidoptera</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">: the scientific order for winged insects like butterflies and moths. Other than the obvious design elements that relate to the insect&rsquo;s aesthetics&mdash;the maximalist patterns and cocoon-like shapes&mdash;her work focuses&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">on the creature&rsquo;s transformation as a catalyst for a more personal narrative to break through. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">As an overachiever notorious for&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">overthinking before even starting a project, Abanto taught herself to let go of things beyond her control. &ldquo;I have become the moth itself,&rdquo; Abanto muses in reference to her collection, the creation of which has been cathartic for her. Naming every look in the collection to mimic a chapter in her life, the finale, called </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Amor Fati</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">, is the most symbolic. &ldquo;It embraces the very essence of my story&mdash;to love what you are doing, to live in the moment, and to focus on the present.&rdquo;</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">Yasha Rosales</p>

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<p><span>Every June, in time for her birth month, Yasha Rosales pauses to reflect and celebrate her youth as a constant reminder to never lose that giddy innocence and ageless spirit. &ldquo;I always invite in&nbsp;a whimsical sense of wondering and wandering,&rdquo; Rosales shares about her designs that are an ode to the dolls she&rsquo;d play with&nbsp;</span><span>as a child. But instead of falling into the typical Lolita formula such juvenile inspirations often reference, she fixated on her childhood dolls&rsquo; unrealistically perfect hair. This pushed her to manipulate (with great intention) tons of synthetic hair, to create garments that commentate on relevant social topics. &ldquo;I believe that&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">every form and facet of [our hair] carries its beauty, defying the damaging idea of a singular &lsquo;ideal&rsquo; standard of beauty,&rdquo; the designer notes. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Other than the masterful technique she manipulated the wigs and synthetic hair strands with, Rosales also incorporated other unexpected materials like cowbells and mirrors. She also used sculptural wool felting techniques to add more texture to the garments, lending a certain kind of local kitsch to her work. &ldquo;Each garment I create is a piece of my own life as a Filipino, weaving together my journey with yours and inviting you to perceive my art with your interpretation and experience.&rdquo;</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">Kath Baillo</p>

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<p><span>&ldquo;Pursuing art, and eventually fashion, wasn&rsquo;t just about following&nbsp;a childhood passion. [It was also about] reclaiming my own narrative,&rdquo; Kath Baillo states. Any young person hoping to pursue a creative career in the Philippines knows that the practicality&nbsp;</span><span>of the profession is always met with skepticism. Though disheartening words were thrown at her, Baillo chose to defy the odds and pursue fashion design with grit. &ldquo;Fashion is not just about what we wear, but about how it makes us feel, what it represents, and the stories it carries with it,&rdquo; she declares. </span></p>
<p><span>Her story in particular is one about free-flowing creativity, and her&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">journey has been far from linear. This is seen in her graduation collection Artesano, inspired by her Fine Arts background and fascination with sculpture. Her draping techniques in particular are off-the-cuff, and Baillo admits to letting herself explore shapes and silhouettes through long hours of experimentation, while&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">also incorporating textiles like abaca and piña into the mix. For Baillo, design is not just about creating garments that leave an impression; she also hopes to push the unbridled exploration of art and craftsmanship.</span></p>
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Their Narratives: These are the 6 Aspiring Filipina Fashion Designers to Watch

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