Fashionable Filipinas

MANILA, Philippines – Clothing and lifestyle giant Bench continues its #LoveLocal campaign with the publication of Fashionable Filipinas: An Evolution of the Philippine National Dress in Photographs 1860-1960. Curated and written by Gino Gonzales, a scenographer and lecturer at Ateneo de Manila University, and Mark Lewis Higgins, a visual artist and co-director of Slim’s Fashion & Arts School, Fashionable Filipinas illustrates the evolution of the terno with over 200 rare or previously unpublished photographs from museums and private collections in the Philippines, Spain, the Netherlands and the United States. The book features three glossaries, essays, a timeline, and contemporary photos of period fashion, textiles and jewelry.

The terno is the most highly evolved among native Philippine garments, taking inspiration first from Spanish fashion, and by the turn of the 20th century, from the couture houses of Paris. It is one of the most progressive and unique national dresses in Southeast Asia.

Although the terno has not been officially proclaimed the national dress of the Philippines, it has assumed this position from being frequently and consistently worn as a symbol of national identity.

The book takes the reader on a journey from the Victorian era, through two world wars, and into the atomic age; from haute couture’s birth to its golden age; from colonialism to independence. It begins in a decade when “Filipino” meant a Spaniard born in the Philippines, and traverses the period after it became a term of national identity.

Bench continues the spirit of #LoveLocal in support of fashion education for all. Officially launched in the first quarter of 2015, the campaign is their way of promoting not only their own brand, but the general idea that distinctly Filipino products can dominate the local market.

In keeping with their ongoing #LoveLocal campaign, Bench will be donating copies of the Fashionable Filipinas book to both municipal libraries across the country, and to several key museums and institutions in Europe, Asia and the United States.

Fashionable Filipinas: An Evolution of the Philippine National Dress in Photographs 1860-1960 will be available at select Bench and Dimensione stores.