Celebrating Mang Ben
His moniker Mang Ben is proof enough of how simple Ben Farrales was. But not his design. Not his influence. Not his legacy.
With more than 200 domestic and international runway shows, and the reach of his imagination, he was a force to reckon with, giving birth to the strengthened identity of local fashion on the world stage.
To this day, his life and works are celebrated.
De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) recently mounted the ongoing show “FARRALES@BENILDE,” a physical exhibition of some of the most desired pieces in Philippine fashion by the legendary couturier at its Main Gallery of the School of Design and Arts Campus. The exhibit of Mang Ben’s 40-plus masterpieces was produced by the Center for Campus Art (CCA) of the DLS-CSB and curated by CCA’s director Gerry Torres.
To the initiated, Mang Ben, who passed on last year at the age of 88, was an artist ahead of his time even if he entered the fashion industry in the ‘50s.
Mang Ben, inarguably the dean of Philippine fashion, was in the business for 60 years introducing his signature Muslim-inspired gowns (he was from Cotabato City and for a time he lived with his sister Aida who was married to the prominent Pendatun family of Cotabato), traditional ternos, and sophisticated traje de mestizas as well as a series of contemporary loungewear, cocktail dresses and draped frocks.
The exhibition showcases an assemblage of Filipiniana ensembles, beaded ball gowns, pleated dresses, satin garments, and single items from skirts to capes. These all demonstrate the outstanding craftsmanship, as well as the range of artistry and talent of Mang Ben, who, in my interview with him long ago revealed to me one reason why he ended up as a designer: “I flunked Math.” And while repeating the subject in Cotabato, he became enamored with the ensembles worn by Muslim women in his place. (He attended San Beda College for his early education before pursuing Fine Arts at the University of Santo Tomas.)
“The collection was a gift from the family of Ben Farrales,” Torres said of the pieces displayed at the exhibit. “His niece-in-law, Cynthia Pendatun, works at De La Salle University and, through the then-Lasallian East Asia District Brother Visitor Br. Armin Luistro FSC, contacted Benilde president Br. Edmundo “Dodo” Fernandez FSC to offer it to us.”
“When I first asked Gerry Torres, he said, ‘Brother, we don’t have a climate-controlled facility so we might just damage the dresses.’ But I insisted and we decided to build a temporary housing for the collection. We are currently planning a more permanent storage/exhibition area for the creations of Mr. Ben Farrales. May this be the seed collection for a costume and fashion design collection in the mold of The Metropolitan Museum in New York,” said Br. Dodo Fernandez.
Br. Dodo added: “Much has been written about Farrales’ intentional use of indigenous, regional designs in his creations. He was doing this long before Yves Saint Laurent was. In this way he spotlighted and highlighted our regional cultures and designs.”
The “FARRALES@BENILDE” exhibition likewise features 40 14-inch miniature designs by Benilde Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) students, inspired by the works of the late icon. These creations were made from home through the guidance of award-winning couture doll dressmaker Cholo Ayuyao and the fashion educators and mentors from Benilde FDM program.
“The students were given materials from the collection of Ben Farrales to work on. The little dolls were dressed with Farrales fabrics,” said Edu Jarque, a member of the board of trustees of the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde.
At the exhibit launch, the walls of the gallery were filled with news clippings. After all, Mang Ben was also known to silently keep a copy or two of the articles that featured him and the prettiest ladies of substance that he dressed. (The self-effacing Mang Ben was not only the country’s dean of fashion, he might as well be the dean of propriety for once in an event in the ‘90s, after I wrote about the procession of different images of Sto. Nino in different Farrales outfits — Mang Ben founded in 1979 the Congregacion del Santisimo Nombre del Niño Jesus — he went up to me to sincerely offer his gratitude. Such humility. Such sincerity.
The ongoing “FARRALES@BENILDE” show is a gold mine masquerading as an exhibit. It’s a treasure trove, a repository of a mind that is genius and genuinely Filipino.
Many times, the influence of personalities, celebrities die with them — but not Ben Farrales. His legacy lives on.
(“FARRALES@BENILDE” will be on view until Sept. 10 at the 12F Main Gallery of the Design and Arts Campus, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, 950 Pablo Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila. For viewing appointments, visit Benilde CCA on Facebook and Instagram. For more information, visit www.benildecampusart.com.)
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