After three years of BYS Fashion Week, founder John Lozano felt it was high time that it transitioned and converted into Manila Fashion Week (MNLFW).
‘[It will be] a fashion week that we can all be proud of locally. And in the same breath as New York, Paris, Milan, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, and Bangkok. We now have Manila Fashion Week, and we’re very, very proud,’ a zealous Lozano said at the media launch held at KMC Solutions in Makati City.
The new shows, happening on October 16 to October 19, will have a single location – SM Aura Premier, Bonifacio Global City. The roster is composed of ‘visionary Filipino designers,’ such as Andrea Tetangco, Don’t Blame The Kids (DBTK), Chris Nick, Viña Romero, OXGN, Íñigo, Randolf, and Viktor.
Commerce as the focal point
With the rebranding, fashion enthusiasts are naturally expecting things to be different with MNLFW.
‘So, fashion weeks all over the world have always centered on commerce. You know, if you go back to the core of what a fashion week is supposed to be, it’s really for designers to sell their clothes, to show to their clients and whatnot,’ he explained.
‘So, commerce has always been at the center of fashion weeks all over the world and that’s what we’re trying to do this year. What’s unique about Manila Fashion Week this year is we’re gonna have a pop-up or a re-see,’ said Lozano.
It’s the Manila Fashion Week pop-up, which will happen the day after the shows. So, if the designers show on October 16, on the next day their clothes will be available for sale through a pop-up in SM Aura.
‘Everybody can get the chance to go to that store, feel the pieces up close, touch it, and eventually buy some pieces. So that’s an innovation we want to sort of introduce because Fashion Week, it’s not just really supposed to be for show. It’s really supposed to help the designers get their pieces out there and at the same time, the audience, they need to just not just see the clothes but they need to wear it and bring it home. And for me, that’s the essence of it all,’ Lozano said.
‘We are stronger together. And one of the challenges for Manila Fashion Week was really to get the support that it needed. Because, honestly, in order to do an event that’s of this scale, of this magnitude, and with the standards that we’ve set in the past three years, it takes not just a village, but it takes an entire town to mount Manila Fashion Week,’ added Lozano.
‘Because imagine that’s eight shows spread out into four days. We’re very grateful for the support that we received for the first Manila Fashion Week. And I guess, you know, this is just the start. And I feel like, and I feel strongly that in the years to come, there will be more support for this endeavor. Because at the end of the day, who will benefit from this the most would be the country,’ a hopeful Lozano said. ‘Because it’s high time that the world sees that the Philippines is not just a jungle with coconut trees and sand. You know, fashion is here and the world needs to see it.’
One venue for all shows
For the past three years of BYS Fashion Week, the shows were held at different venues across Metro Manila, because the organizers wanted to introduce that concept to the Philippines and for the people to experience moving from one venue to another.
‘[It was] in the spirit of we wanted the designers to really give input on where they want their show to be, you know, whatever would convey their message better. And for this year, we partnered with SM Aura just to change things up a bit because we’ve done that whole traveling from one place to the next route and at the same time, because of the weather conditions we have here, it’s not that easy to keep moving from one venue to the next,’ stressed Lozano.
Even with a single venue, Lozano assured that each show will still have its own design and flavor. The set will be changed every day for each show, which will be presented at the Samsung Hall and at the Manila Fashion Week Tent in the Sky Park of SM Aura.
‘So again, this is the first. The tent that we’re building is custom. It’s really made for MNLFW. There are two shows per day and then the next day, when the other two designers show, the set will be different. We’re gonna change it four times. So, there’s gonna be eight shows, all completely different but all housed within SM Aura,’ said Lozano.
In between the shows, there are a lot of things people can do. There will be lounges, food will be served, there’s photo vignettes, people can take photos, they can go around. And at the same time, in between the shows, they can all go to the pop-ups. Lozano said it will be a full experience for the guests.
‘Everything’s there at the mall. There’s parking. It’s comfortable. And that’s what we want for Manila Fashion Week this year. We want it to be as comfortable as possible so that people will really enjoy and focus on the shows. It’s very interactive,’ added Lozano.
Coming from the past three fashion weeks, and this being the first year of Manila Fashion Week, the organizers will still be following the format that attendance to the shows is by Invite Only.
‘Given the limited capacity of the venues, obviously it’s really Invite Only. Again, same as other fashion weeks all over the world. But what we are going to do is, through our website, www.mnlfashionweek.com, people can sign up. They can send their profiles, and then the Manila Fashion Week team will reach out to them if they get passes,’ explained Lozano.
Next big Filipino brand
The roster is composed of ‘visionary Filipino designers,’ such as Andrea Tetangco, Don’t Blame The Kids (DBTK), Chris Nick, , OXGN, Íñigo, Randolf, and Viktor.
‘It’s a very well-curated designer roster that we prepared for everybody. It has a little bit of everything. You know, we have streetwear, we have brands like DBTK and Oxygen. We have streetwear designers, Íñigo and Victor. We have Viña Romero and Randolph. And then we have Andrea Tetangco and Chris Nick,’ shared Lozano.
All of these designers, Lozano feels, will offer something different and something unique to the shows.
‘And we’re very, very excited. Just a quick note, one of the things that’s sort of not necessarily different, but what we want to advocate for Manila Fashion Week is really the next, what we feel is the next global Filipino brand,’ said Lozano. ‘And I believe that this roster really has what it takes to go global. And I really hope that people will really support and really feature these designers because they really deserve their slot.’
The MNLFW team deliberates on the roster this year but eventually down the line, they may have a screening committee.
‘But at this point, it’s just really us. And, you know, obviously me with my, I guess my experience as a stylist lending it to the team. So, it’s really just us deliberating. But in terms of criteria, we look for brands and designers that have a distinct point of view,’ explained Lozano.
Brands or designers that the moment you see a piece you already know, it’s theirs.
‘That’s always something that I look out for – designers that have a unique point of view. And at the same time, designers and brands that really have the potential to go global. Because at the end of the day, if we’re pushing global, we want to get designers that have that mindset of creating brands that can compete globally,’ he said.
‘It’s not necessarily just brands that create beautiful gowns or beautiful pieces. It’s brands that think beyond just designing clothes,’ Lozano emphasized. ‘It’s brands that think, that create bags, that create shoes, that create the world around them. That’s one of the biggest criteria for the selection of designers this year.’
Partnership with DOST-PTRI
The push, Lozano noted, is to solidify MNLFW’s position as the premier fashion week or fashion event in the country. He believes that in the past few years, they have worked tirelessly to achieve that.
Another thing to note for MNLFW this year is their partnership with the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Textile Research Institute, whose thrust is to push Filipino fabrics like piña or piña blend, among others.
‘This is our little way of, even if this is fashion, this is street, this is fashion week, we still inject a Filipino flavor in everything. Because I think I mentioned in one interview before, something Filipino doesn’t always have to be like a Terno or a Barong Tagalog. You know, even a biker jacket can be Filipino if it’s made by Filipinos,’ said Lozano.
‘And more so if we’re using fabrics that are distinctly Filipino. So, I think that mindset of, ‘OK, we have to be, it’s Filipiniana, we have to wear Terno or Barong Tagalog.’ That should change because the only way for Filipino fashion to go global is to embrace each and every one and everybody, regardless whether it’s a gown, a pencil skirt, or like I said, a leather jacket, it’s Filipino if it’s made by Filipinos,’ he stressed.
Lozano mentioned to the DOST team that the roster of designers this year are mostly ready-to-wear brands, or at least they have ready-to-wear stores and they have pieces that are wearable.
‘For me, that’s very important. When I spoke to DOST, I told them it’s important to nurture and support these designers because they have, I guess, a wider reach. If it’s a designer that just makes one-of-a-kind pieces, then it can only reach a certain few. But with brands like DBTK, for example, with the reach that they have and Oxygen incorporating these pieces, it’ll show people that these fabrics are not just meant to be worn on special occasions. They’re not just meant to be worn as office attire. They’re meant to be worn every day,’ said Lozano.
‘The DOST is really working hard to develop fabrics that we can use on a regular basis. It’s just that they need help to push these fabrics forward. And I believe Manila Fashion Week will help them there with the help of the designers. But yes, they have the supply. They just need people to see it. Supply is not a problem,’ assured Lozano.
The Filipino Identity
But how can Manila Fashion Week distinguish itself from all the other fashion weeks in the world?
Lozano’s lengthy reply follows:
‘This is a bit of a topic that is kind of controversial, at least in my world. I’ve always pushed for embracing who we truly are. And who we truly are is a mixture of so many things. I think, and again, not everybody will agree with me, but instead of really finding that Filipino identity, you know, we always get caught up with what’s the Filipino identity? Who are we? What are we?
‘I think what we are failing to see is that we are everybody. We are a melting pot. We are new, but we are old. We are modern, but we are classic. And until we accept this, if we keep finding, you know, unique things about the Philippines, of course, that’s noble.
‘But you aren’t who you are if you don’t embrace the present and you don’t embrace the future. So instead of just looking at the past and finding, you know, the thing that’s so unique about the Philippines, let’s just embrace who we are today.
‘And who we are today in the age of the internet and social media, who the Philippines is today is a global country. We are the capital of social media in the world. We are very exposed and there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s nothing wrong with being global.
‘And that’s what we want to push for Manila Fashion Week. It’s not always about as much as we love the Ternos and Baro’t Sayas in the world, but that doesn’t define the Philippines. What defines the Philippines is the people and our ability to adapt.
‘And by God knows, the Philippines is super global. We are the most global in this region. And if we don’t accept that, then we’re not going to reach the next level.
‘And that’s what we want to show, that we are global. We are not a jungle.’