Metamorphosis

Jeannie Goulbourn is no newbie. Yet despite her two decade-long tenure in the business, her ideas, which spring up like well-dressed jacks-in-the-box, prove to be the never punctuated hymn of her love for art and fashion.

She is well-known in the business with her splendid RTW line in SM, called JM Goulbourn, which showcases dressy yet functional separates and ensembles targeted for the working woman, and for her contribution in creating Philippine silk that provides frosting for Silk Cocoon, her couture line. With a sartorial sleight of hand, Jeannie, along with sister Frances and daughter Katrina Goulbourn-Feist, creates whimsical pieces of woven miracles, which splendidly play on the nervous breakdown of classic elegance.

Their designs, mostly elaborate and sculptural pieces that can be worn in many ways and glow in stark but natural shades, combined create an almost trompe l‘oleil effect that dazzle and captivate.

"The dream of modernizing Philippine silk has taken over a decade to realize. What began as one tenuous filament from a single cocoon has become a cloth. What started as one hand sliding across a solitary loom has become many hands and many looms. Countless days have been spent experimenting with dyes and traditional weaves, developing and adapting methods to produce the silk presented to you today," explains the Silk Cocoon madam herself, Jeannie.

Silk Cocoon was put up 10 years ago (which now stands in the New World Hotel Shopping arcade) to showcase elegant hand-woven fabrics as creations of clothing for both men and women. "I originally put up the boutique Silk Cocoon over 10 years ago as an outlet. I wanted to bring global attention to the Philippines’ capability of producing beautiful silk for the high-end market in both home and fashion," shares Jeannie.

It has grown in range locally for fashion (in particular with its line of bags, accessories, coveted shawls, etc.) and in export abroad, selling fashion and home textiles to prestigious international distributors, architects and designers.

"I would like to believe that what Silk Cocoon creates are works of art with the skilled hands of the Filipino behind it. There is a greater appreciation for hand-woven products since I first came into the business both locally and internationally, and the fabrics themselves are proof that Philippine culture is rich in tradition but willing to move forward to the future," adds the visionary. Indeed Jeannie believes in Filipino talent, and not only the hyped and coroneted ones of the press. She shows me a skirt that reminds me of Prada’s silk collection that shows different runny prints of Tuscany. When I ask her who did it, she told me that an artist who moonlights as a waiter in Quiapo made it. "He made three-months salary in painting a few skirts," beams Jeannie who is proud in her discovery and humble in her altruism. Jeannie has also lent her hand for the joint venture of the Ateneo Art Museum and YStyle for the 2nd Ateneo Art Awards in August. She aims to help young artists get exposure in any way.

When asked where she would like to see Silk Cocoon bursting out its delectable butterflies next, she admits that she wants to create a lifestyle brand for the store. "It‘s all about pure elegance found in one’s home, one’s life and in the beauty of nature surrounding us. They are textiles for a lifestyle, a mirror of balance, function and tactile sensuality, reflecting handloom weaving traditions with a modern twist thereby proposing new concepts for fashion and living."