Inno Sotto: Happy again

Inno Sotto’s last fashion show "Beloved" literally set fire to people’s imaginations.
Many in the audience who were blown away also ordered pieces from Sotto’s self-described "suntok sa buwan" (reaching for the moon), which also shut the door on a painful chapter in the designer’s life.

"It was a breather for me," he says. "It was one of my most personally gratifying collections, like the Indian collection I did when I was starting."

Less than a year after his partner Richard Tann’s death, Inno looks remarkably composed and – amazingly – at peace, and happy. Like "Beloved," all the drama seems to be in his past now. His current mindset will best be seen in his new summer collection, which will be shown April 5 in Roxas Triangle. Here, he tells us about his new romantic phase, and how he let the happiness in:

Your last show "Beloved" was really spectacular.

The material allowed me to go a little out of the usual. I’m fortunate enough to have shows once or twice a year. If I did that on a regular show, I would have enjoyed doing it, but I don’t know how it would have been received by many. I think it’s the younger ones that people give license to go a little out of the ordinary, but if you’ve been in the business a bit longer, they expect – I don’t like the word "safe" – but I realize the hardest thing about my business is sustaining something. I don’t want to be too far ahead when I do a collection. Neither do I want to be too safe and laid back. What’s important is I’m always in the moment. It’s a pulse that clients relate to. Some people say, "May show na naman si Inno?" In Paris, they do it four times a year if they do both couture and ready to wear. It’s good, it keeps you on your toes.

How are you planning to top yourself this time?

The title of the show is actually "Allegra Under the Pink Sky of the Secret Garden." It’s a light show, very romantic – a summer collection of over 50 pieces with real clothes. I have clients who come to me for certain things, and I have them in mind. If it were a movie it would be a feel-good, light movie, as opposed to the last one which was a little more intense.

After the technical glitch that happened last time, are you doing anything differently?

This is the most demanding and most difficult in terms of production requirements. It’s tricky. I don’t have the benefit of working inside space that’s contained by walls and ceilings, because it’s an open-air thing. The show has to move, the pieces have to move. It’s theater-style, in a beautiful section of the garden. It’s up close because I don’t want it distant from potential clients. But what excites me is the venue. This is my most romantic collection to date.

Are you using a lot of chiffon, then?

I’m consciously veering away from chiffon. I’m using some silk – different weights – quite a lot of lightweight fabrics. Some fabrics we don’t normally use for formalwear here, but it’s worn as formalwear in other countries during summer. I’m using pique and linens for evening gowns. I’m using organdy, the organzas, taffeta. I’m very conscious of fabrication at certain times of the year, and this being a garden I don’t think I would want to suggest heaviness in its fabrication.

Isn’t linen more high-maintenance?

In the construction of the garment, we put certain things to give it more body and give the effect we want. You expect to see certain creases, otherwise you’re walking around in polyester.

What are the silhouettes like?

A lot of them are a little loose on the body and bias-cut. I show skin but in a fairly reasonable way so my clients can relax. The lengths are short for a lot of things. The mid-area is exposed, the shoulders.

What about the colors?

A lot of really, really light, sherbet-type colors. Cotton candy type. The darkest would probably be in the blues, navies. I’ll have black, because it’s a favorite color and my clients ask for it, but there are phases in my career that I’ve totally, consciously veered away from it.

Are you presenting any bridal gowns?

I have one, yes. It looks a little airy, frothy, like cotton candy.

What were your inspirations for this show?

Allegra is an Italian name for "happiness." It’s a state of mind, a phase in my life I’m in. There’s a certain simplicity in this entire collection in the sense that it’s not fussy, it’s not masyadong dinidibdib. And I think that comes to anyone’s life when there’s a certain amount of calmness, peace, a great deal of happiness. Pink and yellow have always suggested that to me.

I’ve had to go through some really difficult periods. It’s not yet been a year since Richard passed away. I don’t know of a period that was more difficult. You feel lacerated pala when you lose somebody you’ve known for a long time. It’s an open wound, but reading things, finding an answer to hold on to helps. And I have an anchor – I can’t say who or what – but it’s an anchor I hang onto that has sort of made it easier now for me. You’re only able to open doors again if you’re able to close other ones. Otherwise you just move around in circles but you don’t move forward. I’ve always been very forward-thinking, a very optimistic person, it’s in my nature. I’m a light person in the sense that I don’t like heaviness or baggage of any kind. And it’s my curiosity that has constantly led me to discover things, even when I was little. To a certain extent "Beloved" helped in that it was a project that Richard had a lot to do with. With the help of a lot of people I was able to do it, but it closed doors for me.

What is it in fashion that excites you most?

You know, the one thing I really like about my work is it’s not still. The biggest thing about fashion is that it’s so dynamic, it changes, it’s always in-the-moment, and the moment is always different.

What is your process like? Has it become routine by now?

Working on a collection I have a book – I’ve accumulated folders of doodles and sketches. I don’t hang around with lot of designers, but I have designer friends. The closest people I’m usually with are straight friends, male and female clients who’ve become friends. My closest gay friends are people I work with in production, like Patrick Rosas. Music, a movie, the way somebody cooks can take me somewhere else. I’ll make notations. It doesn’t have to be something I’ll work with immediately, but it’s there. Sometimes it’s a line I read somewhere that excites me.

Aside from fashion, what are you most passionate about?

I like movies, music. Any except heavy rock. I remember kasi I grew up separately from my family. I grew up with my grandmother and a godmother who took me away – borrowed me from my parents at a certain age. That’s why I have a tendency to unconsciously separate myself. I can eat in a restaurant by myself. I can enjoy my company. I don’t always have to be in a group, in a crowd. I’ve been very independent in that sense. I remember when I was growing up in Guam and even in the States I would listen to all kinds of music. Opera I like because it’s bigger than life.

For movies, I liked Crash. I liked the way it was made, the story suggested little stories going around that gelled together, and the treatment, it was almost like you were a voyeur. Brokeback Mountain was like, it’s about time. I don’t even think it was brave.

How has the local fashion industry evolved?

More designers, and a lot of really brilliant young designers. Of a certain age group, Dennis Lustico and Jojie Lloren are really gifted. Ivar [Aseron] and Joey Samson, they’re good; some young girls are very creative. But sometimes it’s a dangerous phase, especially the much younger ones in their career, because at a certain point they’ll really have to shift gears to be able to move on, to be able to sustain. Because fashion is a business. It’s not a vehicle for ego. It must make sense, or you don’t stay around.

What would you change about fashion if you could?

It’s a community of some of the most creative visionaries. And it’s so frustrating that there is no avenue through which they can actually channel it, to be able to bring whatever gift they have. Figuratively, making clothes is the language of our profession, and if we must make sense, it cannot just be a regional dialect that only makes sense in the Philippines. The more successful Filipino designers are the ones who are based in America, because it is an industry: Josie Natori, Rafe Totengco in bags, Monique Lhuillier.

Here, the last time that happened was Fashion Watch, which called attention to the abilities of Filipino fashion and interior designers, and was strongly supported by Ming Ramos during the Ramos administration. Because of that, a lot of designers got to be known. I thought that that was a very productive period in our country, and that was the last one. To a large extent politics stands in the way of a country getting anywhere.

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"Allegra Under the Pink Sky of the Secret Garden" will be shown on Wednesday, April 5, at the Tower One and Exchange Plaza Garden.

Set design is by architect Ramon Antonio. Director is Ariel Lozada. Flowers are by Fiori di M. Cocktails are by Cibo di M. Makeup by Patrick Rosas. Maquillage by Chanel. Hairpieces by Bergman Hair Inc. Segment and line producer for recorded and live show soundtrack is McCuan. Red and white wines-Freixenet Cavas are by Rene Barbier.

Show sponsors are PLDT and Smart Infinity in cooperation with BPI Privilege Banking, Belo Medical Group, Ayala Land Inc., La Mer, ISM, Rustans Essenses, and Philippine Tatler, together with Landco Pacific Corp., Metro Pacific Corp. and Home Studio Inc. Cocktails are at 7 p.m. Show starts at 8:30 p.m.