MANILA, Philippines - The year’s first local collaboration embraces the trend of hand-painted prints and grown-up florals. Burberry, Valentino, Dior, and our own Rhett Eala have paved the way for this level of appreiciation for details in fashion, and now designer Mark Bumgarner and Love Marie Ongpauco-Escudero are collaborating for a 40-piece collection that carries this trend into spring.
For the artista-turned-artist and racer-turned-designer, the collaboration was a natural progression of a long-time partnership and friendship. Mark, being one of Heart’s favorite designers, has always been her go-to person for tailored, everyday basics, as well as formal wear. The two met at Mark’s home for a fitting, and have been working together since, with Heart walking for the designer during his fall 2015 presentation.
Known for dense yet ultra-feminine evening wear, Mark returns with gowns that focuses on fashions erogenous zones du jour: shoulders and ankles. According to the designer, the process involved shipping gowns, sometimes done, sometimes unfinished, for Heart to paint on. Meanwhile Love Marie is no stranger to painting on special pieces; she’s been painting on designer bags for a while now. Using budge-free fabric paint, Love Marie (Heart’s art world alter-ego, the artist says) rendered her signature nature-inspired patterns in colors similar to those in her paintings.
The inspiration, according to Mark, came from a lot of things. “It came from art, gardens, and a certain technique. There’s not one inspiration that I draw from,” he said. For Love Marie, the dresses “exemplify femininity.” “It gives you an instant feeling of beauty when you wear these dresses. It’s like staring at a painting but actually wearing them,” she said.
The complete collection is composed of 40 dresses, 15 of them painted by Heart.
On the fashion show gala on Jan. 18, the gowns will be auctioned off and all proceeds will go to the Corridor of Hope Foundation and Thalassemia International Association. The preview featured three dresses, in neutral and gold themes.