Fashion Forward for the Iloilo Fashion Designers Council

The Iloilo Fashion Designer Council is an Iloilo-based non-profit organization established just this year.  It was conceived with the aim to help facilitate Ilonggo designers and to work for the development and growth of the fashion industry adhering to socially responsible practices and promoting the beautiful image of Iloilo.

The council’s corporate social responsibility is in support of Iloilo’s weaving industry particularly in the towns of Miagao, Oton, Badiangan, Duenas and Igbaras.  The group would like to initiate a project to help local weavers in terms of producing new design patterns and color matching. By joining the upcoming Indigenous Fiber Fashion Fair on August 7, 2016 where they will showcase their fashion forecasts using hablon and patadyong, the IFDC has taken its initial steps to transform its vision to reality.

Presently, the council has seven members namely, John Montinola, Ian Jorda, Jun-G Candelario, Paul Conte, Binky Pitogo, Lexter Badana, Hello Hello and Audrey Rose Albason.

JOHN MONTINOLA launched his first hablon and patadyong pieces in Tumandok Fashion Show in 2004. With much enthusiasm and acclaim, his all-female collection reflected his uncompromising dedication to creating innovative designs using the paintings of National Artist Fernando Amorsolo as his inspiration. A fashion and accessory designer, hair and make-up artist, chef, Montinola is currently the image consultant of IMG (Iloilo Models Guild).

JUN-G CANDELARIO is one of the mainstays of the annual Indigenous Fiber Fashion Fair. He started out in the fashion industry as a festival costume designer in his hometown in Lemery, Iloilo and presently one of Iloilo’s most-sought after full-fledged fashion designer. He learned basic dress-making as an elective during his high school days at Lemery National High School and showcased his very first gowns and festival attires in local pageants. He has a degree in BS Architecture at the University of San Agustin.

IAN JORDA is a fashion designer, foodie, teacher and an event specialist. His interests spans from art, fashion, travel and wellness. A graduate of BS Hotel and Restaurant Management at Central Philippine University in 2004, Jorda had a comprehensive career as a hotelier-seafarer with Costa in Europe and a Professor. His fashion portfolio includes corporate attire, bridal design, resort wear development and visual merchandising.  Presently, he is working as a Creative Director for TMX Travel and Marketing Experts at the ground floor of Amigo Mall.

  

BINKY PITOGO has a Certificate course in Clothing Technology at the very prestigious School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFA), a design Institute in Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City, Manila that specializes in design education. The clothes she designed were then sold online through Multiply. Her clothes speak of elegance, confidence and dauntlessness without trying too hard. Her clothes make her clients look effortlessly chic. She loves experimenting with beautiful printed fabrics mixed and matched or with a combination of different textured details. Binky believes that what a woman wears says a lot about her.

PAUL CONTE was the Grand Winner in the 5th Robinson’s Place Iloilo Design Lab Competition in 2011. He actively participates in various mall and corporate shows in Iloilo City.  He takes pride in joining the annual Indigenous Fiber Fashion Fair in 2012 and Iloilo Designers Week from 2012-15. His design aesthetic is feminine with alluring silhouettes. His growing collection epitomizes versatility and sartorial grace. Celebrities like Heart Evangelista, Lovie Poe, and Divine Lee have worn his pieces.

LEXTER BADANA took dressmaking and pattern making at Slim’s Fashion and Art School in Manila for the past years to improve his skills in this area. He was among those who were qualified for the Slim’s Annual Student Work Exhibit at the Fashion Hall of SM Megamall in Manila last year. His design aesthetics include classic silhouettes, tailored menswear and evening wear for men women with emphasis on patterns and construction. He is also a risk-taker and loves experimenting with playful details. Among his favourites are designers Cristobal Balenciaga, Coco Chanel, Oscar dela Renta. The designer was featured twice at the annual Indigenous Fiber Fashion Fair.

HELLO HELLO is an independent clothing brand that conveys modernity in a relatable, yet creative style. Intermixing travel, art and culture as influences, the brand takes pride in its innovative and fresh take on ready-to-wear clothing. Resort wear is at the foundation of this label's design aesthetic but its effortless garments can be worn anytime and anywhere appropriately, may it be a night beach party or a brunch with friends in a stylish urban setting.

AUDREY DUSARAN-ALBASON studied Fashion Design and other fashion-related subjects from the note-worthy Fashion Institute of the Philippines (FIP) in Manila. She debuted her graduation collection at the SM Mega Fashion Hall in 2014. Her internship under renowned fashion designer Francis Libiran honed her skills in design and pattern-making. Describing her aesthetic as "feminine-eccentric", she loves mixing classic silhouettes with contemporary embellishment techniques and hand-crafted details. She was the featured designer in the 2016 ICONS fashion show by the Women Lawyers Association of the Philippines-Iloilo Chapter.

  

See more of their designs in the 9th Indigenous Fiber Fashion Fair on August 7, 2016, a Sunday at 6 p.m., SM City Iloilo Event Center. The event is organized the Provincial Tourism Office of the Iloilo Provincial Government and SM City Iloilo in partnership with the Department or Trade and Industry, the Department of Tourism Regional Office, LGU-Miagao, LGU-Oton, LGU-Duenas, LGU-Badiangan, Tinukib and the Daily Guardian.