'Revenge collection': Cotton Inabel takes centerstage at 'Algodon' fashion show

MANILA, Philippines —  Fashion designer Randy Ortiz has a point when he said that his Inabel showcase at the recent "Algodon" fashion show was a "revenge collection." 

Almost three years were lost to the pandemic, and it took six years of painstaking yet dedicated labor and commitment for a group of researchers led by neurologist and Pinto Art Museum president and founder Dr. Joven Cuanang to harvest cotton in Pinili, Ilocos Norte. 

"Our industry was so badly hit. We have to make a revenge. For me, this is like a revenge collection. In order for me to make a statement: Proud Filipino, buy Filipino, support Filipino," the designer said. 

Ortiz's couture Inabel creations were carried with grace and poise by models including former beauty queen Justine Gabionza and model Jasmine Maierhofer, strutting the makeshift runway of Gallery 7 at the Pinto Museum in Antipolo, Rizal. 

His is a cerebral collection, he said, with the Inabel cut into wearable yet high fashion pieces in shades of yellows and greens. 

Basically his section was the pop of color to the warm neutrals and grays from his fellow Filipino designers Vic Barba, JC Buendia and Tonichi Nocum who also showcased their respective collections at the show. 

If his was the high fashion, Barba's are the grays because he said, "Why not?"

Barba found it easy to work with the fabric because it now has body. If he were to be picky, he said it is quite fibrous because of the cotton Inabel's "intense" threadcount. 

Tonichi's was the resortwear, in colorful, sunshiny loose silhouttes, from drawstring pants, shorts and big shirts. 

"My collection is wearable, versatile. We are a resort country so we should come up with resort clothes," quipped Nocum. 

Capping off Inabel extravaganza was world-famous model Jo Ann Bitagcol strutting in a Pepito Albert collection. Her solo walk was well-applauded despite the absence of her favorite designer. 

As Barba said, the cotton Inabel he and his friends worked on is a welcome development for them to be able to work with the Ilocos-farmed cotton in future projects.  

"It's good because there are different grades. The thin ones you could use for shirts, the thicker ones could be used for jackets, line jackets, belts, skirts," Barba said.

Revitalizing cotton-farming 

Dr. Cuanang was the prime mover in the recently held fashion show. It was his obsession with the inabel that started it in the first place.

A good read, Dr. Cuanang's piece published on "The Diarist" revealed his early memories of the famed Ilocos weave known for its optical illusion pattern called "kusikos."

As a child of Batac in Ilocos Norte, he had grown familiar with the weave as his blanket, pillow or curtain; in fact, he went with his inabel blanket, mosquito net and towel when he went to Manila to study. 

It took years until six years ago when he found an Inabel with "more delicate designs such as flowers and smaller rectangles and the colors not as bold" from his recollection. 

Being his inquisitive self, he found that the threads used for that particular inabel were not from Ilocos. They were synthetic polyester discarded from clothing factories in China. 

The revelation prompted him to take it upon himself to revive cotton farming in his beloved Ilocos, and it led to "Algodon," which is Spanish for cotton. 

"Algodon is a statement of an idea put into action. Painstakingly, over the last six years, we nurtured it from the seed farm to fiber to fashion. Farm-produced cotton has its rightful place in our times. It is part of our cultural heritage. It should be revitalized all over our country," said Dr. Cuanang. 

RELATED: 'Inabel' at Pinto Art Museum