So much passion and creativity in one fair

Watching me peruse their pants rack, Suot founder Karl Guerra said, “The pants can fit a 30 to 44 waist.”

Yes, the same pair of pants.

That’s what Suot offers: gender-neutral clothing that everyone can wear, regardless of their shape, size or lifestyle.

I ended up buying a pair of those pants at the fair. They call them the Katrina Round Pants and I am obsessed. They’re voluminous balloon pants that are so comfy I think I will end up buying them in every color.

Zap Mari

Zap is a La Union-based artist. Her canvas? Thrifted men’s shirts and vintage camo jackets.

“The shirts are deadstock and 100% cotton. I pick out the biggest sizes so it’s easy to style them and everyone can wear them. The patches on the back are from other T-shirts,” she told The Philippine STAR.

She deconstructs the shirts, removing the sleeves, dyeing some of them, and choosing fun prints from T-shirts to add to the back. Zap Mari’s racks are a pop culture time capsule, surprising you with Rugrats, Star Trek, David Bowie, Daria, Grogu.

Zap does really cool things with the camo jackets as well, turning some into what she calls camo cocoons that you can drape around you for an instant outfit upgrade.

Russet Accessories

Russet Accessories’ booth at the Purveyr Fair was always packed and it was easy to see why.

They had a charm bar featuring the cutest handcrafted trinkets that you can use for necklaces, chokers, bracelets, rings, earrings, bag charms, shoe charms, brooches and more. People flocked to the booth to design their own jewelry.

I love the food-themed charms and I loved seeing the very Pinoy ones like isaw, fish balls and hotdog with marshmallows.

I ended up buying a bunch of charms for my Traveler’s Notebook: sardines, gyoza, ebi fry and a bunch of smileys.

Endless Disco

Multidisciplinary artist Quatro Los Baños brings his distinctive visual language into the world of clothing with Endless Disco. His one-eyed characters and vibrant imagery are translated into textile and used for bright, playful, wearable pieces.

I’m not usually a prints girly but I would totally wear these shirts. Looking at them makes me happy.

Rrhodenstudio

Fashion designer RR Pineda, best known for his custom and bridal label Ralph Rhoden, recently launched his ready-to-wear line, RRhodenStudio. Stand-out pieces from his first collection include the hand-beaded denim jackets, drop-waist skirts, balloon pants, and hand-beaded barrel skirts.

RR, who spent years working with Vania Romoff, is beloved by his clients for his elegant draping, clean lines and thoughtful construction—all of which are reflected in his new line.

I will be needing those balloon pants—yes, I have a pants problem.

Amu

Wanting to merge comfort and style while she traveled the world, fashion stylist Vianka Amurao-Sarreal created a versatile coverup that was lightweight and quick-drying. That’s how Amu was born.

Today, the brand continues to offer beautiful pieces inspired by nature—flowy kimonos, kimono jackets, multi-way coverups, lounge pants, maxi dresses, polos and more.

Fake Alchemy

Fake Alchemy offers demi-fine jewelry handcrafted by its founder Mai Evangelista—skull studs, celestial rings, White Flower-inspired snuff bottles, pendants and rings with attitude, cat charms and more. It’s exciting to see what she’ll come up with next.

Corvera Studio

A super-hot item at the Purveyr Fair? Corvera Studio’s Yuki pants—voluminous linen pants that can be worn a variety of ways, even as a jacket. Multiple drawstrings change their look with one tug. Really, really cool. They’re a work of art. Artist, fashion designer and Corvera Studio founder Rum Corvera sews every piece himself.

Also covetable, the brand’s Wabi Pants and Ino Shirt. They come in four colors: black, beige, navy and ivory.

I love Corvera Studio’s dedication to slow fashion and inclusive design. On my way home from the fair, I pre-ordered two pairs of Yuki pants and one pair of Wabi pants from Corvera Studio. I can’t wait to wear them.

Riotaso

Riotaso

Riotaso has been giving the humble retaso new life for years now, repurposing scrap fabric into new textiles and using them to create memorable fashion pieces. Founder and designer Rio Estuar remains dedicated to style and sustainability, continuing to work with fabric waste in fun and fresh ways. 

Riotaso

At the Purveyr Fair, their offerings included the reversible Ice Ice Kendi Caps, Cozy Crop Pants, Patchwork Pants and Polos, Scoop Pocket Trousers, Iced Gem Bags, Riotaso Trousers and more.

Guava Smells

Guava Smells

Scent experimentation led co-founders Ryan Danao and Noelle D. Lejano to launch Guava Smells, their brand of slow-batch, artisanal fragrances. Their blends, which are mixed and assembled by hand, include Fresh Bergamot + Ocean Breeze, Grapefruit + Cashmere, Honey Dew + Tonka Bean, Lavender + White Nectar, Mango + Iris, Lily of the Valley + White Musk and Neroli + Cedarwood, among others.

They dropped three new limited-edition scents at the fair: Red Berries + Cypress, Cardamom Pear + Black Vetiver and Star Apple + Oakmoss. 

Salad Day

Designer Willar Mateo describes his brand Salad Day as “your maximalist high/low streetwear fantasy” and his collections as “magulo, chaotic at full of labor of love.”

Salad Day is unique, fun, creative and full of personality. No wonder it’s a favorite of drag queens.

Their Purveyr Fair booth was a colorful playground with fruit print blouses, neckties with hand-drawn patches, rosette bag pouches, caps featuring Hello Kitty centipede and kutsilyo coin purses. Love the oversized shirt series featuring trippy smiley faces.

Koochi Koochi

A leather pouch that looks like underwear. Mules wrapped in cord laces. A tote with fringes. A slouchy bag covered in scales. A dome bag that looks like forbidden fruit. A scalloped tote that looks like clouds. These are just some of Koochi Koochi’s striking designs. All their pieces— bags, shoes, clothes—are produced in Marikina.