A brave new world
Bench Body’s highly anticipated annual spectacle returns in November, and if its vernissage at the recent Bench Fashion Week 2024 is any indication, we’re seeing lots of hot bodies in every gender expression as they celebrate the body for its strength, beauty, and its sexiness, too.
So far we know Kaila Estrada will walk the star-studded affair and so will Ina Raymundo and Sunshine Cruz. One segment will work on a black, orange and white palette and lots of risqué lingerie and sexy sportswear for both men and women in different states of undress.
Ever since the first Bench Denim and Underwear fashion show in 2000, the event has empowered the top and buzziest names in the industry to show off their hottest and fittest selves, usually after months of preparation, and we can’t wait to see who else is joining the big stage. A certain Korean heartthrob or an athlete, perhaps?
R’Bonney Nola unveils first collection made in the Philippines
Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Nola Gabriel begins the next chapter of her career with her BFW debut collection, How to Survive on Land and Sea, as she navigates the Philippines with just a couple of suitcases, miles away from her studio and sewing supplies, armed only with resourcefulness, unbridled creativity, and a dream.
“I’ve been sewing since the age of 15 when I saw my mom take clothes from the thrift store and she would alter them to fit my brother and I,” she shares.
Preparing for the collection, one of her stops had to be the ukay-ukay, where she shopped lots of denim, deconstructed them, and worked them into the collection. She explains, “As I was ripping apart the clothing, it really allowed me to think spontaneously and think of a design.”
The 16-look collection mixes the contrasting elements of streetwear in distressed, baggy blue jeans with structured, tailored dark denim and the resortwear touches of sensually draped satins cut on the bias, some embellished with shells by Kataw. The finale piece is a full tahong shell bodice with a denim maxi draped like a gown. Completed in two and a half months, Gabriel sourced fabric, made the patterns, and sewed the pieces herself. We can’t wait to see how else the Philippines will inspire her.
What would a ‘90s anime Yakuza wear in 2024?
Anthony Ramirez made a name for himself with his hyper-feminine aesthetic in a strict palette of black and white. It belies the neo-color, ultra-flamboyant muses of his teens: the gregarious, larger-than-life yakuza anime characters from the ‘90s. These guys are tough and muscular with the personas to match; they’re not one to shy away from color or bold cuts. Think Emblem Take 2’s oversized pinstripe suits in Grimace purple or the boxy old-school uniforms of the Gokusen delinquents.
In Bōryokudan, he interprets this menswear niche with streetwear swag with contrasting refined materials like leather, French cashmere, cotton, suede, and linen. It also marks a first in his 15-year design career. “Ito na ang pinaka ma-color ko na collection,” the designer says. As for the manly men he hopes to dress, “Gusto ko lang ma-feel nila how to be manly but sophisticated at the same time.”
Wedding gowns and suiting for the anti-bride
Growing up with parents in the wedding industry has given Nina Amoncio a lot of time to think about weddings and bridal gowns. In her 27-piece collection for BFW, her answer is I Don’t.
Amoncio started her design journey with Bench Design Awards in 2018 under her brand Antonina and stood out with her tailored, deconstructed take on streetwear. In I Don’t, she challenges herself with an anti-bride’s wedding wardrobe but it’s no less romantic and impassioned, laboring through entire surfaces of beadwork, even using real silver to emulate boro hand stitching–details one would have to see and feel up close and fitting for an intimate affair. Unconventional hand-sewing techniques create volume and texture on conventional tailoring and suiting and tulle and power mesh typically used in gowns.
“It’s a juxtaposition of my reality and an abstraction of an imaginary wedding,” she says. “This is a way of me showing my vulnerable side.”
Modernizing the barong
Menswear designer Bon Hansen steps out of his tailored comfort zone in his third BFW show Pagkatao as he explores themes of courage, love, and acceptance by artfully playing with the terno and barong’s proportions. He modernizes the barong into a piña seda bib that can be worn by both men and women, a silhouette his brand has become known for since winning the Bench Design Awards in 2019. As a Ternocon 2023 finalist, he continues to modernize the butterfly sleeve with a one-shoulder dress that’s respectful to the proportions. This collection showcases not only Hansen’s evolving creative journey but also how the Filipiniana—not only the terno but also the barong—can evolve through this willingness to embrace new challenges.
Surviving the urban jungle
Urban Revivo has two fashionable propositions for the city hustle—to revel in it or escape, if only for the weekend. You can party in women’s slip dresses in the style of Destiny’s Child’s Survivor music video or getaway to go hiking and fishing in gorpcore-inspired outerwear for men. Now go touch some grass.
Stripe a pose
Nautical fashion meets varsity style as Cotton On heads into a new school semester. Stripes of all sizes are the base for a lot of the looks, layered 2010s-style with plain basics and letterman pieces for a stylish look that’s not breaking any dress codes.
Neutrals inspired by the ballerina off-duty
Rhett Eala’s latest collaboration with Kashieca is more understated than his previous collections, and decidedly so, going with the graphic appeal of a limited palette of neutrals. Instead, he creates texture and volume with lightweight fabrics like tulle and Eala’s signature of intricate embroidery.
“When it came together, it looks like an off-duty dancer’s wardrobe,” says the designer. “It’s feminine but not so girly. More womanly.”
This collection is all about versatility and grace. Each piece seamlessly transitions from business meetings to a weekend brunch, made to effortlessly adapt, embodying the dynamic, multifaceted lifestyle of the Kashieca woman.
An ai-inspired commentary on humanity
For Jenni Contreras’ second collaboration with Human, she conjures Universe H, a simulated world where reality blurs with the artificial, modeled after sci-fi films of the ‘70s.
“I was really inspired by AI technology, deepfakes, and the conspiracy theory that we’re all just plugged in a simulation and nothing is real,” she shares.
She experiments with custom prints and cuts, exaggerating the shoulders and arms to appear longer, the hips straighter—all to make the human form appear “alien-like” and “space-y” to show how people morph when they’re plugged in Universe H. She explains, “It’s a reminder for us not to lose our humanity in the midst of all these technological advancements.”