My ate is a fashion designer. Her name is Gabbie Sarenas, and she has been very busy these past few months. From what I’ve observed, she has been rather quiet in the fashion world for the last two years of the pandemic. But I feel like she brought out all her creativity these past few weeks. She just had a show last December 15, 2023 titled Off the Record, where she released her newest collection. After a few weeks she participated in the 3rd Ternocon last January 28, 2023, and won the Pura Escurdia Award (Silver). I witnessed her hard work and I heard praises from her colleagues, friends, and our family. Throughout the years, people get more amazed with what she offers.
But when I think of my sister as a designer, I still see the young adolescent woman studying at SoFA, working hard, and dreaming of becoming a designer. Ate always loved clothes. Her first design was her own dress for Junior Prom. She later reworked it so that she could wear it for other occasions, which she says she regrets. When she was studying at SoFa, she would be driven or she would commute to school, from Taytay to Makati, almost every day. Despite the challenges, she loved what she was doing. She says that she is amazed that she gets to do this, being a designer, for the rest of her life.
Gabbie Sarenas’ iconic Alamat collection
Over the years, my family and I have seen her join a number of fashion shows and competitions. And every time, people go home thinking about what she designed. She showed nice designs. But I saw her designs change, and she developed her design identity, after she went to Paris. She studied Moulage Débutants (Draping for Beginners) and Moulage Avancé (Draping Advanced Level) at L’Ecolé de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. She started searching and talking about Filipino identity and her part in it. She incorporated these searches and reflections in her first collection, Alamat S/S 2016. From then on, she kept making clothes that were love letters to the Philippines.
But these past months, she showed us something different. It’s something honest and very vulnerable—still a love letter, but more of her emotions, doubts, and vulnerability. In Off the Record, she showed how she felt these past few years. She had a creative block, but she found a way to interpret her emotions through her designs. She still incorporated Filipino designs like the tapis, but she put more of herself as a person.
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- Bench Summer 2024
You would think that this one show would be enough for the year, but she had more in store. She had Ternocon. When Ternocon began, she felt like she didn’t do well at first. She had doubts about herself and questioned herself constantly. But I saw how she tried her best, pushing herself to come up with beautiful ideas. She even tried to improve. She took classes in Flat Pattern Drafting and Terno Making with Jojie Lloren. She didn’t shy away from the challenge. She also had so many thoughts going around her mind. It was an influx of ideas. My parents were concerned about her ,but I knew that it was something she had to go through herself, and she needed to accept whatever path she chooses.
I have observed that it is a year of new events for her that require her to expose her emotions. Her new collection showed her emotional vulnerability, and had her joining a competition which made her discover more about herself and future crafts. The competition made her realize she wanted to study the technical side of fashion.
Her works for Off the Record and Ternocon are simpler. She still uses layers of fabric and intricate details, but her designs are easier on the eyes. She told me that she wants her designs not to shout for attention, but to naturally command attention despite their subtlety. She told me that it’s because she got inspired by the works of fellow fashion designers like Martin Margiela, Yohji Yamamoto, and Issey Miyake—all of whom let the fabric do the talking.
But even with the simpler style, she still included the details that she has been known for. I recall one thing she kept enthusiastically telling me about is how Filipinos love small details. She learned this through a talk by Marian Pastor Roces. Since then, she has researched the precolonial period of the Philippines. She researched the Boxer Codex, which she says is the only link to precolonial dressing. Ever since she started her brand, she researches about the past.
She still uses layers of fabric and intricate details, but her designs are easier on the eyes. She wants her designs not to shout for attention, but to naturally command attention despite their subtlety
When it comes to sourcing the materials for her clothes, I know she likes special things. She likes things done by the hand. I recall an aunt saying that when Ate travels, she looks for fabrics unique in provenance. For example, if she travels to Japan, she looks for something special to them and their people. She doesn’t go to a certain country to buy something machine-made. It should be unique to the particular country.
I think the most interesting part of her design process has to be how she gets inspiration. Finding inspiration for her takes a long time. It can take years or a day, depending on her mood. She can’t be pushed. My Ate tries to search for inspiration. She gets inspired by the things she likes, like history, abstract art, and the philosophies of her fellow fashion designers. A big part of her inspiration is Issey Miyake, who, Ate shares, wanted to develop his country’s specialty. Other designs who have influenced her and who she looks up to are Yohji Yamamoto, Martin Margiela, Jojie Lloren, and Hindy Weber. I think Hindy Weber has been a great help to my Ate as a designer and as a person. Ate says that Hindy Weber refined her taste in terms of color.
Other sources of inspiration for her are films and series like First Love with its color scheme. She also gets inspired by her relationship with music, which awakened emotions in her and contributed to her storytelling. During her show Off the Record, she played the song Every Now and Then by Earth, Wind, & Fire. Whenever we talk about her show, that song would be special to her. It’s not about anybody else. It’s about her.
Her way of getting inspired and gaining knowledge changes. Her knowledge’s horizon widens and doesn’t remain static. She told me maybe it’s because she’s getting old. I think she’s just turning into a skilled and experienced fashion designer.
My own experience with her clothes gave me a glimpse of how she works. She got my size in one fitting. When she fits people with their clothes, she is always there to oversee any details, like how the fabric folds or drops and how she wants it to look. I recall asking her why she doesn’t delegate the fittings to someone else; she says she wants to be there herself. She always wants whoever wears her designs to feel confident in what they wear. I recall she took into consideration what I was obsessed with to design my dress: She made me a Bridgerton inspired dress because she wanted me to have fun.
Unlike the other members of my family, I don’t cry or get shocked by what my sister comes up with. It’s because I am familiar with my sister’s works. I’m not saying I can predict her designs, but her vision is always there. For me, she always puts her emotions and her best self at the moment into her work. They may be intimidating to wear for some, but they can make you feel special and beautiful. Each design is original, which encourages you to carry them and carry yourself. But Gabbie Sarenas’, Ate’s, designs are more than just clothes; they are a conversation between her and the wearer.
