Finding the Pinoy in fashion

By Pennie Azarcon dela Cruz
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–The idea, says fashion designer Barge Ramos, is to come up with clothes that are unmistakably Pinoy without looking like one is bound for an Independence Day Parade or a costume party.

“It is possible to look thoroughly modern and contemporary and still retain the Filipino touch in one’s clothes,” says Ramos who is widely known for his barong Tagalog creations. Aside from being a gauge of one’s age, taste, income level and politics, clothes should proudly hark back to our cultural identity, says this erstwhile fashion journalist who expounded his theory through a weekly column for the newspaper Malaya from 1990-1995.

The best of those columns have recently been gathered into a book of the same title, “Pinoy Dressing: Weaving Culture Into Fashion,” a scrumptious coffee table book that details how history has shaped the way we dress, and how clothes in turn reflect cultural beliefs and traditions.

Among some tribes, it is believed that continuously weaving cloth transmits spiritual force and protective powers to the woven fabric. The process of weaving itself represents “continuing the threads of kinship and descent, with the simple motions of tying, binding and wrapping celebrating lineage, ancestry and solidarity.”

The barong, a formal wear usually worn on special occasions, used to be a cautionary measure against Filipino insurgency during the Spanish times. Fearful of brewing dissent, colonial rulers required Filipino ilustrados to wear the sheer tunic shirt to reveal any hidden weapons tucked in their waistline.

Such cultural minutiae and fashion history have always interested Ramos who held his first barong exhibit at the Ayala Museum in 1985. There he showcased photo silk screening of ethnic patterns on barong using synthetic silk. “I used photo screening instead of embroidery on barong because some foreigners find the lavishly embroidered national dress too feminine,” explains this designer who was first exposed to costume design as part of the theater group Dulaang Sibol at the Ateneo de Manila.

Ramos has also toyed with historic imprints on his barong, including the signatures on the country’s declaration of independence in 1898. “My friends were joshing me, ‘ano yan, pirma sa tumalbog na tseke?’ (what are those? Signatures on bad checks?)” he recalls.

His use of woven fabrics as accents on barong has found a receptive audience among balikbayans and Filipinos living abroad. This he attributes to “cultural pride, the need to assert our identity in a world where blending in seems to be the norm.”

Among locals, the response has been mixed, he acknowledges. “Filipinos are rather conservative when it comes to fashion. They won’t wear anything until everybody else is wearing them.” His best bet are younger Pinoys who are more open to ideas and more experimental, notes this designer who hails the Monday rule during the Ramos presidency. Back then, he recalls, government employees were required to wear a Filipino dress at the start of the week. It was a chance to dress up and to feel proudly Pinoy every Monday, he says.

But even the best intentions are weighed down by the ills of the local fashion industry, rues Ramos. “How can we compete with cheap fabric imports from China and the ukay-ukay (secondhand clothing) bargains?” he sighs. “Our textile industry is dead—killed by too many taxes.” Thirty years as a designer has taught Ramos that “everything in fashion begins with the right fabric—how it feels, how it falls and behaves… Before you can even conceptualize a design, you must know what fabric you’re using and where to source it—mainly abroad, in our case.”

Fortunately, Ramos adds, brightening up, there are two things going for the Philippine fashion industry: “Creativity and design.” Production costs may be prohibitive, fabric choices may be restricted and the market limited, but there’s no arguing with the Filipino designers’ creativity, he sums up.

“Pinoy Dressing: Weaving Culture into Fashion” will be launched on Aug. 17 at the second level of The Podium in Pasig, with an exhibit and fashion show interpreting the fashion illustrations in the book. For details, call Anvil Publishing c/o Gwenn Galvez at +63 2 637-8840.

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