Got Bauls?

When asked what the biggest challenge is facing young Filipino designers today, Aztec Barba sighs and says, "It’s not a new thing. It’s already been established: the lack of material." And he doesn’t mean the lack of creative material, the swell of imagination that gives form to beginnings and ends, the raw edges of dreams and nightmares that push into reality – he means literally, the lack of material. For young fashion upstarts who are unable to dip their needles into the wealth of fabric and textures that are available in countries like Thailand and India, designing something into existence can be a frustrating experience, a thwarted expression, an unjust miscarriage. It’s become a particularly Filipino quirk then, the phenomenon of refashioning the old into the new. Not because it is trendy, or different, or "neo-vintage," but because necessity challenges one’s creativity, extricating the ability to whisk something better out of the abandoned and forgotten, the hopelessly outdated, or even the already perfect. Because there are things that would fit seen in a different context, and because there is always something out there longing to be re-valued again.

Paolo Raymundo rocked an old military jacket by attaching colander sheaves and orange pom-poms, while Rajo Laurel unholstered somebody’s grandmother’s couch and crafted a toothy blazer that would do Scarlet ‘O Hara proud. Bea Valdes has been constructing, from the ground up, a contemporary wardrobe out her lola’s vintage Leonard prints, melting all that is solid into flair, and stylistas like Jenni Epperson have been strutting revamped Rainbow haute ukay ukay-ture. Before I throw in "po-pomo" again (which is, guess what, a meaningless term), these are signs that point to a shift in thought: new is not necessarily better, and the old is not necessarily sacred – you are what you keep making of yourself.

The finalists for this year’s MEGA Young Designers Competition are six whimsical nerves who have heeded the call to "refashion fashion." Moth-diving into treasured chests, scourging thrift shops, and basically ripping many new holes in the fabric of things, these mavericks are mastering the art of the reformat. Davao-based Aztec Barba rejigs old barongs – complete with stainy watermark funk – into exquisite feminine beaded shirts paired with jusi puzzle bubble skirts that conjure a Jules Verne-imaginary of the Pinoy in Victorian England. Catherine Cavilte is inspired by the fast forwardrobes of the London and Tokyo streets. Bedizened and frocked for maximum impact, color explodes, references swing out of control, and the eye drowns in a swirl of details. Ferdinand Abuel takes that object of perennial photo-album embarrassment – the ‘80s bridesmaid dress – and graces it with new life, origami detailing and a soft touch. Donn Delantar pillages his grandma's baul andstitches decades together, coming up with space-age lingerie. Gian Romano’s naughty schoolgirl has grown up to be the evil country club vixen in a gray dress made from a pair of men’s wool trousers (making literal the phrase "she’s wearing the pants"). Jeffrey Rogador is haunted by bears, and hunting bears populate his casual denim-and-jersey ensembles that are woven and stripped and ready to jam.

Whoever wins YDC also gets to go to London for a six-month fashion course and the opportunity to be trained by a British designer, all the while absorbing the intense current of creativity that buzzes through the very eclectic city. Opportunities like this don’t come often, and aside from the lack of material, there isn’t much support from the government for the fashion industry. "We get very little funding, if at all. With such limited resources, how can designers expect to grow?" Aztec asks. But with the help of the British Council and competitions such as these, young designers can get more exposure as well as be more exposed. Catherine would love to work for Julien Macdonald, because he makes such flirty party dresses, while Donn would’t mind being under the tutelage of unique fashion originators like Hussein Chalayan and Vivienne Westwood (stitching mabuhay into their lining would be a nice touch.) I bet, however, that the Brits could do with a natty barong or two, not to mention our strangely resourceful skill of turning household objects into bodily coverings.

The YDC show, featuring the six finalists’ complete collections, will be held on July 8 at Premiere THX (formerly Louie’s THX). On it’s sixth year, the YDC is held in cooperation with the British Council.