How does 15 years feel like for Martin Bautista, a prominent name in the fashion industry and a true favorite of the country’s most stylish? “Very… fast. Very fast,” he said, in retrospect. “It feels like a journey artistically, emotionally… and it was really like that 15 years’ time made me discover who I really am and how I really embrace myself as an artist.”
Bautista studied fashion at Slim’s Fashion & Arts school and, in 2007, young and with hardly any experience yet, his portfolio proved remarkable enough to earn him a spot and showcase at Philippine Fashion Week.
His debut marked a sterling career in an industry he hadn’t seriously considered despite his fierce love for fashion. But it was difficult not to take notice — Bautista’s soul was simply in his clothes. There was already a sense of self-assurance in his clothes early on, and his aesthetic was unmistakable. Not to mention his masterful use of jersey, drapery and garment manipulation.
Soon, Bautista’s works were on the pages of glossies, attracting celebrities, stylists, and the A-list, all wanting to be dressed in his creations.
In 2011, Bautista’s spring/summer collection, titled “Lady Danger,” was picked best collection at the Prive Fashion Awards. Moved by the strong women that surrounded him, Bautista chose bold red as the main color of his pieces and made fervent use of dangerously placed cutouts that allowed its wearer to reveal more skin than usual. It was clearly a collection not for the faint of heart.
Two years later, Bautista then tried his hand at ready-to-wear, designing a limited edition collection for retail brand Cinderella. Fashioned into office-ready outfits and semi-formal wear, his designs likewise featured his signature draping techniques, the use of jersey, and the same sense of allure always seen in his pieces.
In 2014, along with other Filipino creatives in fashion, Bautista was nominated under the Best Upcoming Fashion Designer category at the Fashion Asia Awards.
In 2019, Bautista collaborated with another retail giant, Plains & Prints. The brand commemorated its 25th anniversary with a special collection made by 15 Filipino fashion designers. Bautista’s was a timeless one-shoulder top and skirt in burnt sienna and a holiday-appropriate printed number in a similar silhouette.
Fast forward to today, following the two-year pause caused by the pandemic, Bautista returns with a milestone collection that marks his 15th year. The designer had recently closed Bench Fashion Week’s second day with his latest offering, titled “StiLl-LiFe.”
“It was about a search and rediscovery of a natural, raw kind of beauty, a new kind of feminine grace using my techniques, my aesthetics, my mood, and my feelings,“ he said of his collection. Bautista’s creative process for “StiLl-LiFe” began way back in 2020, and with revision after revision, he arrived at a final result that’s a toned-down version of his initial concept.
Each look that came out had the fashion fans ooh-ing and ahh-ing, in awe of the designer’s unwavering command in his utilization of fabrics and technique — the drapery, the fearlessness in his cuts and silhouettes, the sensual style in the way the clothes move. Set against Spanish hit-maker Rosalía’s flamenco-pop music, his models strutted down the runways with an easy confidence — in a way that only wearing a Martin Bautista piece can do.
In jewel tones and royal hues, there were his signature tiers of tulle, flirty fringes, plissé and pleats, and dramatic drapes, skillfully constructed into a medley that resulted in pieces that are always still feminine, romantic and fun.
To date, the designer lists among his regular clientele beauty queens Pia Wurtzbach and Catriona Gray; top actors Kathryn Bernardo, Liza Soberano, Janine Gutierrez and Anne Curtis; best-dressed regulars, sisters Georgina and Jess Wilson, Solenn Heussaff, and Heart Evangelista.
It comes as no surprise that he’s become good friends with the women he creates clothes for. Life came to a standstill, seasons have changed, but Bautista will always have a strong sense of what women want and will want, fashion-wise.
Today, the designer walks with every woman who’s rediscovering who she is and how she’ll show this to the world — especially in the way she’ll dress. “It’s a reflection of our times,” said Bautista. “We are coming out of a pandemic, hopefully, so the pieces represent a celebration and just trying to live life again, and accepting who we are once again.”
* * *
For inquiries, email ask@martin-bautista.com.