One day you’re in, the next you’re out
What it takes to make in fashion
ETC’s Project Runway Philippines ups the ante for its fourth season -- which premieres on June 14 -- as it creates “tougher and badder challenges” in the hopes of finding the next Pinoy designer who can make it from local to global fashion ramp.
The fourth season welcomes 15 new, hip, and promising designers from as far south as Koronadal City, and as far north as Tuguegarao, and places in the center including Cebu, Samar, and Metro Manila.
A sneak preview showed the contestants deconstructing the outfits created by their competitors into their own signature designs. In the words of design mentor and judge Jojie Lloren, “it’s an explosion” of aesthetics and personalities on the brink of cracking under extreme pressure, stress, and limited time to create a outfit that will advance them to the finals. The overhauled outfits were showcased in the runway during the press conference. Clever cuts, avant garde takes, skin, and textures seemed to be the recurring themes in the runway.
“We don’t adhere to trends because we push the designers to the limit. They don’t need to be encapsulated to a certain trend or fashion cycle but on how far your creativity can take you given all the time pressure and all these things put together in the pot,” said Ms. De Leon-Gonzalez.
NATORI AT THE FINALS
With the goal of keeping a keen eye for the next national and global fashion trailblazer,Project Runway Philippines invited Josie Natori, a Filipina designer who has made it big in the US thanks to her embroidered signature pieces and East-West design sensibilities, to be the guest judge for the show’s finale.
At the show’s launch, she said that the local fashion industry is bursting at seams with gifted people. “There’s so much talent in this country,” Ms. Natori said.
The designer said that she believed there are no boundaries to what one can do as long as one pushes the limits. “Anyone can be in the business as long as you have the passion. Here in the Philippines, there’s a lot of passion but it’s a question of honing it and understanding your place. It’s one step at a time. Their stint in the show will connect them to the next [opportunity]. This is a chance to be exposed. It’s hard work and being able to deal with winning and losing and accepting critiques,” she said.
GOING GLOBAL
She added that it is very likely that Filipinos will make it big considering our “unique and special craftsmanship and artisanship.” Ms. Natori, however, said that while it is possible to go global, it won’t be simple.
“I think more than ever before, the world is so open to new talents and ideas and design. Thanks to the Internet, the possibilities are there. Work hard for it and understand what the market he or she is entering. It’s a lot of work, it takes patience, and understanding of [what] his or her point of differentiation [is] in the world to stand out. It’s about having a point of differentiation so people will buy your clothes. Understand your customers and the business of fashion,” she said.
Ms. Natori herself was not interested in the fashion industry at first. A child piano prodigy, she left Manila at 17 to study economics, and went on to become the first female vice-president of an investment bank in the US. She considered going into many businesses but fashion seemed to find her. On a whim, she brought an embroidered blouse from the Philippines to a buyer at Bloomingdale’s. The buyer encouraged her to turn it into a sleep shirt, and -- voila! -- the Natori brand was born. Now it has grown into a lifestyle brand that includes lingerie, RTW, home, fragrance, and eyewear.
While the Project Runway’s slogan says that in fashion “one day you’re in, and the next you’re out,” Ms. Natori said finding one’s one signature style helps in having staying power. “It’s important to have a reason for being [in order] to survive the whole world of fashion,” she said.
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