An initiative established by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as part of its global fashion hustle, Asian Fashion Meets Tokyo affords select designers from Southeast Asia the opportunity to show at Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo. Countries showcased in previous seasons include Indonesia and Vietnam, but for Spring 2017 the scheme focused on three eponymous labels from the Philippines: Carl Jan Cruz, Karen Topacio, and Joseph Agustin S. Bagasao.
Cruz, a graduate of the London College of Fashion, stood out the most, his mishmash fabric creations creating a deluge of textures among a few natty prints, plus headscarves to appeal to the modest fashion tastes of Muslim consumers. Highlights from the other designers included Topacio’s use of a simple leaf motif dotted throughout her clean-cut womenswear collection, and Bagasao’s stiffly structured denim jackets and richly gathered skirts. Bench, a Filipino behemoth brand that sponsored the show and plans to open a store in Okinawa next year, closed the show with a summery plethora of wearable high-street fare, interposed with a few looks that appeared to have forgotten their trousers.
While the Filipino designers’ craftsmanship and fabric work wasn't as polished as their Japanese show peers’, their loud, uninhibited use of fabric and color cut a joyful mood across Tokyo Fashion Week, and allowed some promising young designers a platform to showcase their hard work. Bagasao, speaking about his hopes for the future after showing in Tokyo, said: “I hope we’ll be able to build a strong relationship [with Japan], not only in business but also creatively, and that being here will open more doors for Filipino designers to penetrate the global market.”
