Some of the country&rsquo;s most talented menswear designers have a conversation about the current state of men&rsquo;s fashion, the challenges they face, and what it takes to do menswear.

PHOTOGRAPHY Belg Belgica CREATIVE DIRECTION Markarvin

From the sharp lines of tailored suits to the innovative designs that push the boundaries of men&rsquo;s fashion, Rajo Laurel, Kelvin Morales, Joseph Bagasao of Bagas&aacute;o, Abraham Guardian of HA.M&Uuml;, Nina Amoncio of Antonina and Renz Reyes have no doubt left a mark in the industry. But these designers are not just shaping the future of menswear &ndash; they&rsquo;re redefining it.
In a candid conversation, the designers explore the evolving landscape of men&rsquo;s fashion in the Philippines, reflect on the challenges they&rsquo;ve faced along the way and then some. Discover their insights as they share their journey and vision for the future of menswear.

L'Officiel: How did each of you first become interested in menswear?
Rajo Laurel (RL): Oh, it&rsquo;s very personal. When I was starting, you only had yourself to be able to experiment on, so the idea was to be able to transpose all these ideas but make it more personal. Menswear began as that, something really for myself.
Kelvin Morales (KM): I&rsquo;ve been interested in menswear since college. I always liked being experimental, mixing and matching.
In what ways has menswear evolved over the last decade in the Philippines and where do you see it heading?
RL: It&rsquo;s getting more and more interesting because of the blurring of the lines of gender. I&rsquo;m a more seasoned designer. So, we&rsquo;re able to see the progress and the progression, but in many ways, it&rsquo;s also very cyclical, because I came into fashion in the late &rsquo;80s, early &rsquo;90s, wherein it was essentially New Wave and a gender-bending kind of mindset and aesthetic. And yet, now, in the last maybe three, four years, it&rsquo;s even pushed further by becoming ambiguous.
KM: I think it&rsquo;s evolving. Men are starting to experiment with clothes now with layering, different materials and accessorising. For me, I noticed that men like to be more comfortable with a priority on the fit. They&rsquo;re more experimental now, too. They invest in menswear and keep track of what&rsquo;s going on in men&rsquo;s fashion.

What are the biggest challenges you&rsquo;ve faced in the menswear industry and how did you overcome them?
RL: That question is always interesting, primarily because that is all also where creativity stems. What we lack in infrastructure, where we lack in supplies. What we lack in basic materials is what makes the Filipino designer extremely talented. The challenges that are brought upon us are quite real because there&rsquo;s no fabric industry here. There&rsquo;s very little in terms of government support, but at the same time, it&rsquo;s what makes us incredibly talented designers. So, I think I like to look at it as that it&rsquo;s a double-edged sword. What&rsquo;s challenging is also what makes us unique and special.
KM: At first, when I started my brand that&rsquo;s highly focused on menswear, I realised how hard it was to approach or penetrate the men&rsquo;s market because men were afraid to experiment. But once they liked my pieces and got comfortable with the designs, they kept coming back. It&rsquo;s the same as getting a haircut since it was consistent.
What advice would you give to emerging designers who want to break into menswear?
RL: Learn the craft. I&rsquo;m constantly learning every day. I think before one can become a poet, one must learn the ABCs and before one can write proper prose, one must learn how to create grammatically correct answers.
KM: Look around you. Focus on what&rsquo;s around you and what you can offer. You can experiment from there. We have a lot of artisans that you can work with.

PRODUCTION Paolo Chua GROOMING Lilian Yeung PRODUCTION DESIGN Ronald Rene Godinez Jr. PHOTOGRAPHER'S ASSISTANT Sarah El-Ali LOCATION First United Building

Tailoring Perspectives: Rajo Laurel and Kelvin Morales

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