Okada Manila supports world-class local fashion design talent in Vogue Italia shoot
Manila, Philippines— Okada Manila begins a new great story with its historic collaboration with acclaimed photographer MJ Suayan, fashion designer Victor Baguilat Jr., and Philippine arts and culture ambassador Pia Wurtzbach for a Vogue Italia fashion shoot.
Themed “Indigenous Futurism,” this artistic collaboration is meant to showcase Filipino talent and artistry in the global stage. For Asia’s iconic integrated resort, the collaboration is part of its continuing efforts to support various local industries, most especially fashion and the arts.
For the Vogue Italia shoot, Okada Manila was the shoot’s official venue partner and co-producer. Recently, the integrated resort also served as the official home of the Panasonic Manila Fashion Festival, an annual event that highlights emerging designers from different regions in the Philippines. In addition, the resort also supported the HABI Philippines Textile Council, an organization devoted to the preservation, promotion, and enhancement of “Philippine textiles through education, communication, and research using public and private sources.”
The “Indigenous Futurism” project was incepted with Vogue Italia mainstay photographer Suayan and fashion designer Baguilat Jr. with the intention of supporting the arts and fashion design industry through raising awareness during the pandemic. Through this collaboration, Filipino creatives banded together in support of each other’s craft. “The arts and design industries are affected by the pandemic since it’s easy to see them as non-essential. This collaborative work shows different designers and groups coming together to jumpstart these industries. Kandama Collective and the designers bring the spotlight to the fabrics and creatives, Okada Manila shared resources as a patron of the Philippine arts, and arts and culture advocate Pia Wurtzbach played her part by donning the clothes. It’s good to have such a creative project at a time like this, so people are more inspired during this challenging time. It gives everyone something to look forward to,” shares MJ Suayan.
Veering away from traditional depictions such as emphasizing flora and fauna for local color, the collaboration reimagines what the use of indigenous fabrics would be like in the future: they may be used in ways that are modern, sleek, and even avant-garde. The concept explores how indigenous textiles can be worn and further integrated into daily life. While using these fabrics is already a nod to the heritage, presenting them in a fun way with the use of lights and color gives people more room to imagine the possibilities for these textiles.
“Raising awareness about handwoven Ifugao fabrics is the heart of my advocacy through the Kandama Collective,” confides Baguilat Jr., who is the first Filipino to have showcased his work in a fashion show staged in the Eiffel Tower. “In addition to raising awareness, supporting the textile industry gives livelihood to the artists and artisans of the region, which, in turn, enriches their lives and their homes. It was fun working on this project because you see people from different industries helping each other out during this difficult time.” Baguilat also encourages more people to support local fashion designers and artisans most especially those from the Ifugao region.
Wurtzbach, a well-loved figure in Philippine fashion and pageantry enthuses, “I’m very excited to be part of this project! Working with such gifted artists such as Victor, MJ, and all collaborators is very inspiring. We’re lucky too that those from other industries—such as Okada Manila—supported this endeavor by being a patron of Philippine arts and fashion. I hope that more Filipinos can also support our local artists and designers by buying their creations.”
The Vogue Italia feature can be read here.
