Apron-inspired tank top with inverted jacket peplum and hand patchwork pants. (Photo by Lem Atienza)
Ben Chan with Jaggy Glarino during the curtain call (Photo by Lem Atienza)
“On my journey, I realized that fashion can be an instrument for expressing personal experiences without having to explain why, and conversely, not be scared to be judged for your past,” says Filipino designer Jaggy Glarino ahead of his highly anticipated return to the runway of Bench Fashion Week (March 17-19, 2023).
“After the pandemic, I realized, there is self-hate within me. My first collection was about childhood, but glamorized. It’s like a mask, part of it, but it’s not the entire story. The pandemic got me prepared to talk about things openly and express them through fashion.
“This is where I started to open up more. I realized it’s possible for me to show my vulnerability in a collection,” he says. “Why am I afraid of expressing my childhood? When you’re growing up, because you’re preoccupied with what people think, there is a part of you that you’re not quite ashamed of, but not necessarily proud of. I thought I didn’t have to talk about it.”
Videography Yuuka Tanaka
Resolved to come to terms with his past, Glarino tapped into his childhood. “I created a brand that I really want,” he says to explain his start-up. “And now, I want it to populate my personal experiences to resonate with who I am.”
Workwear jacket made from repurposed denim selvedge, crochet tank top, baggy trousers made of deadstock fabrics and hand crochet bags inspired by market plastic bags. (Photo by Lem Atienza)
Hand-woven organza barong under straw solihiya paired with deadstock upholstery trousers and hand crochet bags inspired by disposable plastic market bags (Photo by Lem Atienza)
Now more grounded in distinctly Filipino sensibilities, he assembles an apparent overview of his future as a designer. “It’s like a reintroduction of my apparel line,” he says. The result is a sensory overload of 25 pieces that are richly textured, vividly detailed, and oddly distilled all at once. A nod to his formative years, this exposition introduces one to his family, much like the first chapter of an origin story.
A nod to his formative years, this exposition introduces one to his family, much like the first chapter of an origin story
Here, you will meet his father about to head to the morning market, imagined in a solihiya barong toting crocheted carriers in the pattern of standard sand bags; his grandmother was channeled in the signature solihiya woven details and crocheted elements; his sister in the kumot-printed silk dresses with tuwalya chignon and thermos, his mother in a terno with apron-like details of layered mantel-like lace and quilted mitts, and of course, the scout uniform realized as a coordinated set. Decorating this feast for the senses are accessories that play on the idea of memory, like cutlery earrings and fabricated footwear.
Shrunken utility jacket, matching micro shorts in deadstock velvet rust and camel upholstery fabrics, paired withstriped linen button-down shirt. (Photo by Lem Atienza)
Hand patchwork denim suit jacket, cropped apron vest and shiburi woven trousers. (Photo by Lem Atienza)
Digitally printed hanky-drop hem dress in iridescent chiffon (Photo by Lem Atienza)
Elevating this preposition, Glarino commits to the idea of sustainability as best as he can. “No new fabric was purchased,” he reveals. “All the fabrics were repurposed or existing garments or salvaged from my closet and bodega. I forced myself in this collection to make use of what I have. It’s not necessarily the most comfortable thing, especially when you have certain ideas. Sometimes that won’t necessarily work in this context.” The denim, the fabrications (some woven pieces are from selvedge denim, which were then woven into one fabric through a handloom), and even the ink for the printed silk and crepe (a collaboration with iMprintela Digital Garment Designs & Decor) were all realizations of sustainability.
Solihiya cropped terno top, bias-cut crochet dress and denim panel trousers with repurposed utilitarian pockets (Photo by Lem Atienza)
Consider this the blueprint of what is to come. Personal, compelling, emotional, the groundwork for the future is laid out. Now it’s time to set out for that horizon, in cruise control, of course, because as exciting as things are, Glarino wants you to take it all in completely, entrusting it to core memory.
Print collaborator: IMPRINTELA Digital Garments Design and Decor
Graphics design collaborator: Claude Gan
Knitwear collaborator: Dylan Gallaza
Shoe manufacturer: Thian Rodriguez
