Fashion Within Bounds

CEBU, Philippines — This year’s Cebu Design Week readily lived up to its purpose of embodying Cebu’s ascribed standing as the “design capital of the country.”

Underscored by the theme “Connect. Create. Cultivate.” and staged at the IC3 Convention Center on the second weekend of September, the three-day event was more than a simple gathering of Cebuano designers and designers-in-the-making – it also served as a platform for defining the current range of Cebu’s talents in terms of creative vision, diction and direction.

During the culminating activity, billed “Creative Festival,” undergrads of the Fashion Institute of Design and Arts (FIDA) Cebu presented a collection made from repurposed and up-cycled materials. It was a 13-piece collection made in collaboration with the Havaianas, Jamaica Markets, Castilex and Vasacrafts brands, and where all the pieces were made from scrap materials ranging from upholstery remnants from furniture manufacturing to fabric scraps from the production of fashion accessories.

The result was more than an average eco-conscientious collection. FIDA’s presented line represented the process-oriented approach in design, where the designer factors in certain variables in making a piece; as opposed to taking a free hand in designing without any reservations or restrictions whatsoever.

The collection effectively proved the presenting FIDA students’ creative capacity to come up with pieces that do not only stand out but, more importantly, great items that are particularly inexpensive to make and, generally, non-abusive of the environment.