Fashion For All

CEBU, Philippines - When fashion works for one person, it can probably work for others, as well.

When fashion opens its arms to those who want to embrace it, it just takes sheer creativity and dedication for one to be part of the circle, and by making a stamp in all things beautiful. To quote one of Cebu’s iconic design ingénue Furne One, who is internationally recognized and is now a big name in Dubai, “For one to become a fashion designer, one must be creative and talented, have the right resources, can afford to operate the business or just be lucky, with a perfect timing, to be successful and make it big in fashion. You can either be one of those or have all that.” Furne mentioned this to me a few years back when I first stepped into Cebu’s fashion industry in the mid 90s and this inspired me to pursue my long time dream to become a fashion designer. Since then, I realized that creativity can either be innate or learned, through education and experience and by being on the right track.

The summer of 2010 marked the second year of giving fashion fans a shot at becoming future fashion designers, brand retailers or simply just stylish individuals who want to learn a trick or two in fashion. Stylissimo Sessions 2010 paved the way for fashionably inclined individuals in the Visayas to learn a thing or two from senior fashion personalities.

This year, The Styefirm partnered with the Cebu Design Education Foundation (CDEF) through the Chiye Mori Design Library, the venue for the workshops, to train a whole new batch of individuals who love to learn about basic fashion designing and styling. Students learned about the basics in fashion illustration and sketching under Beethoven Bachilier and Peewee Senining, basic flat pattern making, textile and fabrication from Annie Lim of Anthill and Blak Fabrics, construction and draping techniques by Oj hofer, as well as styling and fashion shows from this writer. Students also underwent apprenticeship with Cebu’s top designers. Clothes for Life Inc. founder Joy Bernaldez, and CFL past presidents Salvador Malto and Harley Ruedas opened their doors to accommodate the design students and gave them shop management and designing experience with first hand information on the true nature of the business.

This batch of sessionistas , as we call them, come from different walks of life, from college students, to housewives to business people. There were even students from out of town (from Ormoc and Bohol). Now that the workshops are at the final stage of completion, each designer will present a one of a kind creation to be exhibited at Anthill Fabric Gallery on June 25 until June 30. The designs are expected to reflect the student’s individual design direction, interpreted using fabrics from Anya Lim of Blak Fabrics.

Stylissimo Sessions will culminate on July 17 at the Teatro Casino of PAGCOR at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino. The event, dubbed Style Gala 2010, will feature the works of the fashion design sessionistas modeled by the modeling workshop students with top mannequins from Ad Models Philippines Homme Et Femme. ?