Meet five local designers who have made the effort to address sustainability by creating reworked collections for their brands.

Related: Is Practicing Sustainability Possible During The Pandemic?

There has always been a place for deconstruction and reconstruction in the fashion industry. Take it from John Galliano’s time in Maison Margiela where he backed up the concept of showing the journey of clothing. We can see this through the stripped off pieces that he so effortlessly made for the brand. Now, many designers are following suit while adding their own personal twist: sustainability. Instead of deconstructing and reconstructing couture pieces, they’ve found a way to rework everyday clothing into something avant-garde. In a way, it’s become a trend in an industry that begs for something new with each passing day. Although, there are five particular designers who stand out from the crowd by crafting pieces that are truly stunning and unique. Meet five local designers who rework clothing as a response to sustainable fashion.

Russell Villafuerte
Filipino Fashion Designer and Interior Designer, Russell Villafuerte, has recently reworked some of his old pieces from past runway shows into new designs. He has also created a new collection purely made out of sustainable materials for his streetwear brand, STRONGVILLAGE.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Russell Villafuerte (@russellvtv)

Angelica Dela Cruz
You’d be surprised to know that Angelica Dela Cruz is the designer behind Closet by Mika. The label that started as a closet clean out is now the household brand for up cycled corsets. Aside from practicing sustainability, the label also has a scholarship program with For Our Farmers Inc.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Closet by Mika (@closetbymika)

RJ Santos
Randolf Clothing is one of the pioneers of sustainable fashion in the Philippines. RJ Santos, Randolf Clothing’s designer, has been using scrap fabrics for their collections since the brand came into the industry in 2013. Since then, they’ve had numerous shows featuring their quirky and sustainable pieces.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Randolf (@randolfclothing)

Patrick Bondoc and Rik Rasos
The boys of contemporary brand, Proudrace, have been advocates of sustainability for a long time. Their whole label is about re-working existing silhouettes through a play on off-beat references. Their loyal customers include Nadine Lustre and Mimiyuuh.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by PROUDRACE (@proudrace)

Lyca Faustino
Tagaytay based designer, Lyca Faustino, uses her home city’s rich flow of second hand clothing for her collections. She specializes in creating trendy upbeat pieces that are popular in the TikTok community. Thus, her brand, project.ph, has become the go to store of models and influencers such as, Jessica Yang and Jach Manere.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by PROJECT.PH (@pro.jectph)