Through the power of a strong women workforce, designer Yong Davalos leads a custom and retail fashion powerhouse that champions sustainability, accessibility, and inclusivity
This is an excerpt from MEGA’s March 2024 Designer Profile
Fashion was an unconscious journey for designer Yong Davalos. She was 12 years old when she had to live with an aunt, whom she describes as stylish, and she stayed with her for four years. Davalos didn’t realize fashion would turn into her lifelong passion and career until she fully committed to learning about garment construction and design at 19.
“I had to go through different experiences in both custom and retail fashion over the years, and that somehow solidified the design DNA of our brands and my aesthetic in general,” the designer says. “Female flattery is the core of a Yong Davalos design. Whatever size and shape you’re in, the design has to flatter the beauty of the female form.”
In terms of Davalos’s creative process, she has three starting points that interchange with the circumstance presented. Having to work with deadstock and limited materials for a great percentage of their products, she very often starts with sourcing and working with the fabrics available.
Though on most occasions, if materials are already available, Davalos starts the design process with their core customers in mind. How? By envisioning what they want to be seen in and what they like in line with the current aesthetic of the brands she is designing for.
In this reworked collection of her 2019 runway show, Davalos champions sustainability through the reimagination of her archive pieces infused with the current styles of her namesake brand, Yong Studio. For the past seven years, she has been pushing for sustainable and responsible fashion.
“The most challenging part of being an artist is when you are faced with becoming an entrepreneur all of a sudden,” Davalos shares. “Personally, creation is the most exciting part of my work, and the challenges of sourcing, designing, and product development are actually the things that make it even more fun.”
Although Davalos feels lucky enough to have thousands of clients who trust her work, she didn’t situate herself in this comfort zone. Instead, she pushed herself to lead the business side of things. Did she overcome it? Davalos doesn’t think so—she’s still learning, listening, and loving the whole process.
Feel the force of Yong Studio’s strong women in MEGA’s March 2024 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Creative Direction JONES PALTENG. Photography ENNUH TIU. Styling RYUJI SHIOMITSU assisted by SHAIRA ABRAHAM, SAMANTHA TOBIAS, JUANCHO BUENDIA, and AARON DE CHAVEZ. Hair and Makep KIM ROY OPOG. Model JOANNA POJAS of PMAP. Editorial assistant JONNIE NGO. Shoot coordination BITHIA REYES. Sittings Editors BAM ABELLON and MARIAN SAN PEDRO. Special thanks to RIO DAVALOS of YONG STUDIO INTERNATIONAL.
