Celebrating International Women’s Day

Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day (IWD). The celebration of IWD dates back to 1917 in Soviet Russia, when women were allowed to vote for the first time. March 8 later became a national holiday there. In 1967, it was adopted by the feminist movement and by 1977, the United Nations recognized its importance and began celebrating the day globally to spread awareness on women’s rights and gender equality. IWD recognizes that women can overcome any obstacle and that nothing can stop them from realizing their dreams.

In the Philippines, women have come a long way. We’ve had two female presidents in Corazon Aquino and Gloria Arroyo. We also have our current Vice President Leni Robredo and many other women occupying seats of power and influence.

To celebrate IWD, I am featuring two women who embody female empowerment: Cris Roque of Kamiseta and visual artist Katrina Pallon.

Katrina was the Class of 2007 magna cum laude of the UP College of Fine Arts, Visual Communication. She initially wanted to design characters for game shows back then as she was into the game Samurai Showdown. However, when she interned with renowned sculptor Ferdie Cacnio, he advised her to take up fine arts and so she self-studied from 2007 to 2012. From there, as the saying goes, the rest is history. She started using watercolor as her medium, then switched to oil. In 2012, she had her first oil painting exhibit and since then, she’s had numerous exhibits in the Philippines, Japan, Singapore and the United States.

Katrina is a proud, card-carrying feminist. Her aesthetic is Asian leading towards Oriental. She is a maximalist, preferring to paint on huge canvases depicting women, flora and fauna intricately bursting in bold, vibrant colors. She is currently preparing for a 14-piece solo exhibit on May 23 at the Gallerie Anne of Megamall. However busy she is, though, she still finds time to pole dance, do Muay Thai and build gunpla.

Cris Roque, on the other hand, is known in the retail industry as the president and CEO of Kamiseta Clothing and Kamiseta Skin Care & Clinic, with branches at BGC and the 30th Ayala Mall. A hard-working, hands-on boss with a petite frame, Cris is always on the lookout for innovative ways to give her customers value for their money. For Kamiseta Clothing, Cris has ventured into collaborations with the likes of Heart Evangelista and Bang Pineda. Her latest collab with Katrina turns the latter’s works of art into wearable art pieces.

On Dec. 18, Kamiseta Clothing began featuring Katrina’s artworks, transforming them into shirts, skirts and dresses. These works are from the personal collection of Cris, who proudly owns five paintings by Katrina.

To all the women like Cris and Katrina who strive hard to make the world a better and definitely more beautiful place not just for women, but for everyone, happy International Women’s Day! May your tribe increase!