Mindanao’s story, woven into every look

MANILA, Philippines — Fresh terno designs, reimagined by Mindanaoaon young creators, take center stage at 2026 Southern Weave in SM City Davao

Weaving proudly from The Land of Promise, each piece threads with a beautiful story inspired from Mindanao’s vibrant culture, rich history, vast landscapes, and homegrown narratives.

All designs made by 10 young creatives from Davao Junior Fashion Designers (DJFD) interlace terno with a fresh plot at this year’s Southern Weave in SM City Davao.

The 2026 Southern Weave features sophisticated collections, including Sittie Anwar's “Sultanah,” Jena Quitoga's “Yaman,” Roland Boyles' “Rosaryo,” Red Antipolo’s “Humid Ruins,” “Milpe Blass Palmares’ “Tinubdan,” Bien Catubig’s “Aleng Sorbetera,” Arthur Andrade’s “Oro Plata Mata,” Jane Ponggo’s “Guhit ug Gunita,” Assi Castañaga’s “The Ascent,” and Bon Gilles’ “Sampaguita.”

Now running on its second year in partnership with SM City Davao, the Southern Weave positions fashion as a platform for cultural movement in Mindanao, creating space for regional creative to shape how Filipino culture is seen, interpreted, and experienced today. 

The inaugural fashion show last year paid homage to Mindanao’s tapestry and artisanal mastery, cementing the strong collaboration of DJFD and SM City Davao – the home of the Southern Weave. This partnership sparks a firm testament that young creatives are welcome to spur their creativity with great connection to the niche audience.

A platform for the next generation of creatives 

The Philippine creative scene has historically been highly concentrated in Manila, where many of the country's major fashion platforms, opportunities, institutions, and creative networks are centered. This has often meant that emerging creatives from the regions have had to look beyond their own cities to find opportunities for exposure and growth. 

The Southern Weave offers a different possibility. 

By creating a significant platform for young designers within Davao itself, the event reinforces the idea that creatives do not necessarily have to leave the region to build meaningful careers and contribute to the national creative industry. Davao can be a place where fashion and creativity can thrive, develop, and find an audience.

For the next generation of designers, this kind of opportunity is more than a showcase. It is an affirmation that there is a creative future for them within their own city.

The 10 designers participating in Southern Weave represent a new generation that will eventually carry forward the region's creative talent and cultural narratives. Their contemporary approaches, individual aesthetics, and willingness to reinterpret familiar cultural references demonstrate that the future of Davao's creative industry is not only rooted in its heritage, but also in the imagination of its young creatives. In this sense, Southern Weave becomes an investment in continuity, reassuring the next generation that the fashion and creative scene in Davao is in capable hands. 

Fashion as a way of carrying culture forward 

Mindanao has always been a creative basket, rich in cultural traditions, materials, craftsmanship, stories, and identities that provide endless sources of inspiration. 

But culture cannot remain alive through preservation alone. It must be continuously interpreted by the generations that inherit it. 

Southern Weave recognizes that cultural continuity requires a forward-thinking approach. If young creatives are not given opportunities, platforms, and institutional support, the cultural knowledge and creative practices of a region risk becoming disconnected from the generations that will eventually carry them forward. 

This is why the event's investment in young designers is significant.

It is not simply an investment in promoting emerging talent. It is an investment in the continuation of Mindanao's creative legacy. 

By giving young designers the freedom to reinterpret Filipino culture through contemporary fashion, The Southern Weave allows heritage to move forward without losing its connection to where it came from. Their work becomes a bridge between what has been inherited and what can still be imagined.

Weaving beyond cultural fiber

The impact of Southern Weave ultimately contributes to a larger ecosystem where designers, models, stylists, photographers, filmmakers, artists, artisans, production teams, and cultural practitioners can connect and create together. Each successful platform strengthens the network around the creative industry and makes it easier for the next generation to participate. 

Southern Weave becomes a meeting point between heritage and possibility: between the culture that Mindanao has carried for generations and the creative voices that will carry it into the future. 

From bold silhouettes to intricate details, every piece celebrated the heritage, identity, and creative spirit of Mindanao. A fashion moment that was uniquely Mindanao, proudly celebrated at SM City Davao. — Arthur Andrade 

Editor’s Note: This press release is sponsored by SM. It is published by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.