A glimpse of fashion’s future

(From left) Dana Sadile, Myca Bulanadi, Erica Terol, Kamille Ramos, Francis Odoy, John Valenzuela, Lucia Cadiz, Nicole Paril, Amaya Severino, Kayla Flores, Dev Kuramoto, Gerald Farofaldane, Janelle Hung, Stephanie Satorre, Hannah Tapawan, Gil Salazar, Reese Capistrano, Elisha Solamo and Emir Loresto.

SoFA Design Institute, one of the country’s leading fashion and design schools, recently had its graduation show, entitled “Beyond the Seams,” held at the prestigious and iconic National Museum of Natural History in Manila.

The notable institution of learning renowned for its “SoFA Method” — a creative self-discovery approach that encourages exploration in unconventional avenues as source for inspiration in design identity formation and discovery — presented a range of narratives and fashion expositions that encapsulates the essence of this batch of noteworthy hopefuls.

(From left) SoFA associate director for Student Experience and Academic Operations Madeleine Constantino; SoFA founding partner and vice president Loralee Baron-Soong; SoFA co-founding director Christine Laman; and SoFA founding partner and president Amina Aranaz-Alunan.

In SoFa, ‘We Live Design’ is part of the value system as a school and its pedagogical beliefs instilled and empowering each student, talent, creative or artist.

Amina Aranáz-Alunan, co-founder and president of SoFA Design Institute, says, “You are not just presenting garments; you are telling your stories and sharing a snippet of your inner selves — each piece reflects your unique perspective, cultural influences and artistic expression.”

The future of Philippine fashion was represented by 19 of the Institute’s 2023 graduates. The aspiring designers are from both the two-year course in Fashion Design (Janelle Hung, Stephanie Satorre, Hannah Tapawan, Gil Salazar, Reese Capistrano, Elisha Solamo and Emir Loresto), and the four-year BA Fashion Design and Marketing graduates (Dana Sadile, Myca Bulanadi, Kamille Ramos, Francis Odoy, Erica Terol, John Valenzuela, Lucia Cadiz, Nicole Paril, Amaya Severino, Kayla Flores, Dev Kuramoto and Gerald Farofaldane).

Every stitch has a story. No matter what perspective, there is an authentic narrative from within that needs to be heard — it’s the essence of every designer. 

SoFA alumni Carla Zhang.

In SoFa, “We Live Design” is part of the value system as a school and its pedagogical beliefs instilled and empowering each student, talent, creative or artist.

In fashion, as with everything in life, a whole will never be complete without its parts. Everything is integral and integrated in a process that leads to an output or creation.

Now, these fresh graduates are leaving their nest of two to four years to come out into the real world armed with these precious values that they will carry for the rest of their lives, hopefully living and breathing fashion. 

Aranaz ends, “As a designer, you cannot separate design values from everyday life. Design is a way of life and touches all aspects of human life.”

“Beyond the Seams” was presented by the National Museum of the Philippines, MEGA and KIKO Milano.