More than a mere occasion of victory, however, Jerome’s visit to Japan was, more important, an unexpected opportunity for the young designer—who is an often opinionated advocate of local fashion— to speak out about his views on industry and advancement to no less an audience than the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Indeed, as many who know him will attest, inasmuch as Jerome is notable for his meteoric rise in the industry (most will recall first hearing of Jerome after he won the Animax Fashionability competition just a short year ago) and his interesting aesthetic (a merge of natural and artificial materials representing his own experiences and ironies in rural and urban life, as well as preoccupations with the contrasts between nature and industry), he is also particularly well-known for his concerns and aspirations for the local industry, as well as his forward-looking and sometimes necessarily radical ideas about what might make it competitive in the global market.

As such, it seemed a particularly opportune thing that, through the many obstacles Jerome had to overcome in order to even make his way to Japan (which he eventually managed with the support of the Japan Foundation in Manila and Tokyo, Animax Singapore, and the Fashion Design Council of the Philippines), the young designer was put in touch with Japan Foundation’s Shizuka “Siti” Ohkawa, notably the organizer of the Asia 5 x Doreme tour and fashion show in 2006 (a showcase by top Asian designers Jarupatcha Achavasmit from Thailand, Nazleen Noor from Malaysia, Oscar Lawalata from Indonesia, Anuj Sharma from India, and Jojie Lloren from the Philippines).

Through Siti, who hosted Jerome’s stay and even toured him around Japan, Jerome was brought to a meeting with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, one of the organizations which supported the Japan Fashion Design Competition. One of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s thrusts, it was revealed, was to develop the fashion industry not only in Japan but in the rest of Asia. As such, an interview was then conducted with Jerome about the condition of the Philippine industry, as well as what could be done to change things.

“I told them that there is a lot of talent in the Philippines,” Jerome recounts. “But there is a lack of support, especially with regard to machinery, technology and education. Had we had access to these things, the Filipino designer would go much further.”

“My vision is as much for the Philippines as it is for the rest of Asia. At this point in time, we’re all looking to Western fashion, because they have definite goals and directions despite the fact that they all have different trends, cultures, and styles among them. Obviously, Asia works a little differently. Our strong cultural differences, our different economic situations, and different aesthetics separate us. So given this, I think the best solution is to really work through one country that already has power and resources, like Japan, and share it to the rest of Asia. In the least, other countries can have access to the resources and technology and even connections that they needs, which in the long term can lead to the development of a particular goal and direction for the whole of Asia.”

In addition to his meeting with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Jerome also immersed himself in the fashion institutions in Japan, specifically the Doreme fashion school—a kind of vocational fashion school which was also involved in the Japan Fashion Design Competition.

Conversing with the school’s students and sitting in on classes, Jerome notes the differences in the educational system of Japan and the Philippines, as well as in the eventual career paths of Japan’s young designers.

“I sat in on a painting class conducted by the guest lecturer Jean-Marie Zakki, who was the head of the Association of French Artists and one of the judges in the competition,” Jerome says. “And it struck me that they were actually teaching the fashion design students art theory and practice, not just dressmaking and trends.”

“There, fashion is considered in its entirety—that it is a reflection of the cultures and values of a place. The training is very thorough—in one class the students were making a wool scarf from wool fibers and chemicals. There is emphasis on technique, technology, and art, and it really reflects in the students’ works.”

“The students, on the other hand, commented on how different Filipino young designers had it from them. In Japan, a young designer, should he want to go much further in his career, will first work under the fashion powerhouses, like Yamamoto or Miyake. Then, if they really are talented, the fashion houses will actually fund their launch in the Fashion Week show. That is the only time that the designer will get noticed and be featured in publications, or really get the attention of the fashion industry.”

Of course, Jerome notes, the structures and the generally progressive nature of Japan’s fashion education and fashion industry also owes to the fact that Japan actually considers fashion to be a lucrative business. The Japanese, to begin with, are in and of themselves good consumers, and the market actually supports the varied ideas of its young designers. There, most designers are confident that anything they design will be appreciated and actually bought, and there isn’t little need to “bend” to the tastes of the market. Additionally, while in the Philippines, designers often have to follow the will of consumers and even the media, in Japan it is the consumers and media that look to the designers and the fashion industry with a relative openness, acceptance and appreciation.

“I’m not saying we should be exactly like the Japanese, because we’re culturally different anyway,” Jerome says. “But with support coming in—like the plans of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to invest in the Philippines—we need to do our part and be prepared for it as an industry. We have competitions, which are all well and good, but to what end? What’s next after that? What’s next for us?”

“In Japan, the connotation of young designer is ‘potential.’ But in Philippines it is ‘struggling.’ That’s  very telling of the state of the local industry. When will that change?”