Rising stars

The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts responds to the vision-mission in offering programs in Fashion Design and Merchandising through relevant and values-integrated academic programs, quality instruction and linkages with industry. The school aims to develop the students’ skills and knowledge in arts and design along with the Lasallian Christian values. It seeks to develop students who will produce creative and innovative design solutions in the aforementioned fields with the goal of contributing to national design growth and development.

Filipinos are very fashion-conscious people. We have proven ourselves to be comparable to, if not better than, designers of other countries by being consistent award winners in international fashion design competitions.

The population of fashion-conscious Filipinos is growing and currently there is no local institution that offers a fashion degree program. None of vocational schools that offer Fashion Design include Fashion Merchandising in their curricula.

The DLS-CSB responded to this need by offering a bachelor’s degree in this field. The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Fashion and Merchandising is a three-year and two-trimester degree program. The program focuses primarily on design development and philosophies as well as production and marketing procedures with fashion business at the core. The course content includes fashion illustration, fabric design, history of fashion, pattern drafting, cutting and sewing, clothing technology, critiquing, production, marketing and management.

Silk plain magenta combined with printed chiffon long draped flowy gown by Keziah Grajales.

   According to Mitali Goswami, chairperson for Fashion Design and Merchandising Program, “From season to season, the fashion industry is rapidly driven by taste and style. Designers, therefore, need rich sources of inspiration and unique solution to design problems, whether one-of-a-kind pieces or mass produced clothing. The program familiarizes students with the process of fashion design, from sketchbook to consumer. It also challenges the students to live up to their greatest potential and enter global market as highly trained professionals, ready to make their contribution.”

John Guarnes, fashion designer and one of the faculty members of the program, says: “I believe in the education of the designers as a good foundation  for careers, business, marketing and technology. It is every individual’s weapon for success.”

The program produced successful and competitive designers like Michelle Co (who won in the Bikini Design Championship contest organized by Evercrest); Yvonne Quisumbing (who won special prize at the Japanese Design Association in Osaka, Japan); Reian Cagahastian (who won grand prize for Men in Blue-Police uniform design competition organized by the PNP in cooperation with the Fashion Design Council of the Philippines); Yvonne Quisumbing and the late Bryan Leyva (who represented the Philippines to Paris Young Designer’s Competition for Concours International des juenes Creatures de Mode).

The DLS-CSB Fashion Design program started initially with 10 students in 1996. Now, the School of Design and Arts has 600 to 800 enrollees from freshmen to senior students.