Neric Beltran blooms a bouquet to life at Rampa Manila 2 in memory of inspirations for his collection—Dangwa, Divisoria, and Deo Endrinal.
Like an immediate relative or a good friend, flowers are almost always in attendance to life’s celebrations. Death, too, grows a garden; not just of blooms, but also of people when we honor the passing of life to the next realm. At Rampa Manila 2, Neric Beltran depicts this vividly as his collection, Dangwa, makes its way to the runway.
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Budding of Old and New Ideas
Juxtaposing his last collection of all-white numbers, the designer plays with color this time around. “Flowers are colorful, beautiful—that I wanted to project and capture through the colors that I used in the collection,” he shares in an exclusive interview with MEGA. As his pieces take their place, they collectively resemble a bouquet where the presence of one highlights all blooms.
While his usual affinity for classic black, white, and brown shades is still present, Beltran this time explored more pastels, metallics, and even played around with the range of green.
Apart from his hand for design, Neric is a storyteller. With flora as his imagery, he interprets it in various ways. Wear it clustered to a yellow outerwear or beaded and scattered in a skirt or in some dresses. The designer even transformed it into headpieces. Better yet, be a budding number of your own in layers of fabric-turned-petals.
All of this limn what we know of the designer—skilled in intricate adornment and appliqués, adventurous in form and shape. But for this collection, new ideas also spring out of Neric’s mind. The Filipiniana piece is a fabric on fabric frock—a black, beaded lace layer cut out for the white silk base to peek through. A red rosette with a santan-like trail accents on the monochromatic number.
Of Blooming Life in Loss
Dangwa, as much as it blossoms of life’s vigor, also holds a homage to a dearly departed. “This is actually dedicated to my former boss, Mr. Deo Endrinal. He was my mentor in ABS-CBN for almost 15 years, and he loved flowers,” the designer shares.
At the beginning of the show, a florist takes the spotlight. He holds a white garment with purple Phalaenopsis orchids—Endrinal’s favorite flower. When the last model enters, the florist puts the said piece on her—a cape, as it turns out—to complete the tube dress. Beltran recalls, “Sir Deo would send me flowers for various occasions and milestones. That’s one of his languages of love for everyone.”
As his Rampa Manila 2 creations exhibit, Neric Beltran speaks floral lingo more eloquently today in his elaborate embellishments and color play. His collection captures flowers in their essence as a language of life: one that has passed, and another that continues to thrive in the ever-blooming area of Divisoria called Dangwa.
Photographed by GRANT BABIA
