Recognizing the local talent that is simmering under the surface and the need to hone and channel these creative energies, British Council has offered a short-term study grant for the grand prize winner of the competition, something which the finalists are in agog over.
“I love that. I am really planning to go abroad and study fashion design. If I would get that scholarship, it would be a fulfillment of my dreams,” says Catherine Cavilte, who, with her Japanese and London inspired designs, has been looking forward to further her British fashion influences.
Her co-finalist Donn Camilo Delantar, on the other hand, has a different take on the grant. “It's a great opportunity for any designer. When you're there, you will have that chance to apprentice under a British designer. The chances of getting in might be small, but being there already gives you something.”
This is not such a shot in the dark. Mich Dulce, a previous winner of YDC has in fact apprenticed under British designer Marjan Pejowski. A Filipino designer, Lesley Mobo, is in fact currently making waves in London. Now a resident designer of Harrods, this talented artist has been recently invited to work on a project with Salvatore Ferragamo.
The winning designer can choose from the four courses being offered. One of the course, Fashion Skills for Professional Designers, is an intensive program that provides a basic grounding in the knowledge relevant to fashion designers such as professional presentation techniques, obtaining the desired shape or obtaining a professional finish. In Creative Portfolio in Textile Design, a student will be able to explore design concepts, working with dyed and printed fabric, finishing and surface treatments. They will also look into techniques in textile technology such as pleating, crushing, creasing, shibori, embossing, coating, bonding, and lamination. Handmade Fabrics, on the other hand, deals with felting, knitting, and hand-printing while the course Textile and Colour for Fashion investigates the international fashion textile markets, looking into the use of embroidered and beaded images, colors and how trends, designer collections, and other influential world events affect the market.
Not only will the grant teach them some techniques in fashion designing but more importantly, it would open doors that they would otherwise not encounter were they to study here in the country.
“More than the classes that they would be attending in the United Kingdom, the winner would be exposed to the culture and the lifestyle of the country, which is now acknowledged as the newest cradle of design talent in Europe,” says Susan Arcega, assistant director for communications and marketing at the British Council. The experience, she continued, would not only give them fresh insights on the latest trends but would also inspire them to create.
“It's a pulsating city. All the artists who have studied in the UK have developed certain perspectives. The stimuli from the city itself, be it the designs that they see, the people that they meet, the music that they imbibe or the various art forms that they encounter, would have much impact in their creativity, greatly influencing their works,” she explains.
The British Council has also partnered with Mega in 2000. They have sent Noni Diza and his winning “Elizabethan Hobo” look to the United Kingdom to observe the Bhs Graduate Fashion Week.
TURNING THE OLD INTO GOLD
Held every other year, the Young Designers Competition has produced icons in the fashion industry. Designs of Rajo Laurel, Patrice Ramos-Diaz, Michi Calica, Papa Alejandro, and Katherine Ong have all graced the runways of the competition, which aims to give equal opportunities to designers who may not have the connections or the resources to showcase their creations.
“We want to discover new talents that would otherwise not get the chance to show the fashion industry what they are capable of,” conveys Mega Magazine editor in chief Liza Ilarde.
According to Ilarde, every competition, they think of a concept that would better represent the present trends, not only in fashion but also on what is happening to the country.
Inspired by the fashion industry's present obsession for the old and the antiquated, this year's competition attempts to turn the old into gold by taking the styles of yesteryears and reinventing them into modern works of “fashion art.”
“In the fashion industry, all over the world, there is a focus on vintage clothing. Second hand clothes… used clothes, from ukay-ukay or from the closet of our grandmothers. We thought, why not rework all these old clothes and make them into something that is contemporary, something that we could use today,” notes Ilarde.
Aptly themed “Fashion Refashioned,” contestants are tasked to look for secondhand clothing and use them to create six new designs. They could cut the fabric, tear it up or redesign into something fresh and modern. With vintage fever holding the fashion world in a trance, it is not so hard to hunt for such items. In a span of a few months, those crusty, dusty clothes from that forgotten baul in the attic have risen from virtual obscurity to the limelight, sharing the catwalk with design greats of the “now.” Old, as fashion experts say, is no longer cold.
Delantar, whose fantasy clients include President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, found a muse in his lola's baul. “It all started with my lola's baul. Seeing those old clothes inspired me. In fact, in my folio, I have included a picture of my lola. I owe all of these to her,” he shares.
In addition to the actual design, judges will also be looking into the construction of the garments and how the different elements and fabrics were combined.
“It would really depend on how they used those old fabrics. We would not only be considering the design but also the wearability, the colors, and how the fabrics complement each other,” Ilarde reveals.
From what she had seen in the mini-fashion show held at the Discovery Suites, where the finalists gave a sneak peak into their collection, she expects the finals to be one hell of a close fight.
