Marcos Jr. to wear simple barong by Pepito Albert during his inauguration
President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to take his oath of office on Thursday, June 30, wearing a simple barong by local fashion designer Pepito Albert.
This comes after Marcos's sister Irene Marcos-Araneta held a contest, asking local designers to create their own barong design for the incoming president.
In a Facebook post, Marcos Jr. shared actual photos of what he and his family will wear at inauguration.
“Wala nang mas angkop pang kasuotan bukas kundi ang gawang Pinoy! Iwagayway ang damdaming makabayan sa isip, salita at pati na rin sa pananamit!” Marcos Jr. wrote in the caption of the album.
The president-elect said that the barong he will wear at the inauguration designed by Albert was inspired from rayadillo, the traditional uniform of soldiers during the Spanish occupation. His shoes were made by Sapatero Manila.
The barong that Marcos Jr. will wear at the dinner was similarly designed by Albert and is made from piña fiber.
Marcos Jr. also shared the piña terno that will be worn by his wife Atty. Liza Araneta-Marcos, and was designed by Leslie Mobo. Her shoes, on the other hand, was made by Lila Almario of Greggs Frame.
Marcos Jr.’s eldest son Sandro Marcos, meanwhile, will wear a barong designed by Salvo Tailors.
The yellow piña terno that will be worn by Marcos Jr.’s sister Irene was also designed by Albert.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, June 29, incoming press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said that Marcos Jr. will grace the occasion with a barong inspired by the traditional Spanish military uniform, or rayadillo, in the morning.
He will change into Albert’s “fully-embroidered barong from Taal” for the activities that will be held later into the night.
In an interview with the Philippine STAR on June 29, Albert described Marcos’s inaugural barongs to be very simple—made out of jusi and only having geometric lines for design. “Bongbong and Lisa are so easy to work with because they know what they like,” the designer said.
Apart from the president-elect’s garment, Albert created the piña terno Marcos's wife, Liza, will be wearing to the event.
He and the incoming First Lady were classmates in Business Management at the Ateneo de Manila University. “Lisa was a fun and smart classmate,” Albert told STAR.
The designer, whose works were featured in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, W, and Elle, likewise designed the barongs of Marcos Jr.’s sons Sandro, Joseph, and William.
In a press release on Monday, June 27, Marcos’ long-time image specialist Jay Herrera said that the design for Marcos Jr.’s inaugural outfit would come from a pool of sketches submitted by local designers in a contest organized by the president-elect’s sister.
“As of this moment, there is no official design yet for BBM. His sister, Irene is holding a contest among designers to get the best design. But it will be decided in two to three days,” Herrera said.
The designs for Marcos Jr.’s sons were also included in the submissions.
Prior to the inauguration and May 9 elections, Herrera said Marcos wore shirt-jack barongs mostly designed by Avel Bacudio, who has long been known as a designer for celebrities.