For Reinjamin Riodique, designer of the brand reinjamin, having something to say is the most important thing of all
A makeshift ribcage hugs the model’s upper torso, its distinct lines contrasting the body’s silhouette. Bra straps are placed in front of the body, not at the back, while a skirt is slung at the hips, its cutouts forming holes against the legs, layered with another piece of fabric with string hanging down its length. Apron-like dresses are riddled with holes and draped on the body along with other diaphanous fabrics, pieces grazing the form gently. All the clothes are in black and white, giving an almost otherworldly feeling, in sheer, layered and soft constructions. These designs are part of the brand reinjamin’s “The Outcast,” Reinjamin Riodique’s graduate collection for Benilde’s Fashion Design and Merchandising four-year college program.
“The concept is very personal,” begins Riodique. “There are many moments in my life where I have experienced feeling and being different from other people. So the idea for the collection started with me, and I know that other people have experienced the same or similar things that I have also experienced.”
She says there are people who are outcasted for not fitting into society’s traditional or typical standards. Some people aren’t inclusive, for example, of the LGBT community, and her collection for reinjamin reflects the light and dark parts of the outcast, unveiling personas that are often overlooked. “Besides the black-and-white colors, I also play with different textures and materials, all to showcase the different parts of an outcast,” she explains.
Expounding further, she says that “The Outcast” is a collective term for the people viewed negatively. “For example, for us, the new generation right now, there are beliefs we don’t want to apply in our lives that our ancestors, like our mothers and fathers, have been applying in theirs. They grew up with certain practices they pass onto us, but we no longer want to pass them on to the following generation and we aren’t viewed in a positive manner because of that.” It causes friction and a gap between generations and dissonance in society.
“When you’re lesbian, you should dress up in a masculine manner,” is one misguided belief she points out. “But there are also lesbians who don’t dress up in a masculine manner, like myself. People think that I’m a straight woman when they see me. I don’t want to generalize, but I know there are people out there who can resonate with my concepts. reinjamin is my way of representation.”
She talks about the “boomer mindset,” which she says can be mired with misinformation. “Not everyone is aware of all the things that entail being in the LGBT community. Some people think it’s just about being a girl or a boy, or that gender cannot be fluid,” she continues.
The cords and the ribcage in the collection, she says, also represent the strength of the people who have been discriminated against by other people for being strong, for being who they are despite what other people may think. “In science, the ribcage protects the heart. So the cage in my design protects the personality of the outcast that’s being punched by the opinions of other people who don’t understand them.” She says she also has an image of a heart in one of her designs.
“One thing that I want the audience to take away from my clothing is the concept of open-mindedness and just basically being kind to everyone. We don’t know what people go through that makes them different from the majority in society.”
Twenty-four year old Riodique says she had no prior knowledge of fashion before college. “I was just good with art, like drawing, and I just wanted to create. I realized I wanted to create clothes and I learned everything through school.” She believes she “tackles a very grungy vibe of designing” and was even chosen by a beauty queen last year to design clothes that were the antithesis of the sparkly and shiny attire the beauty queen was used to wearing.
Riodique says she doesn’t want her clothing to represent the wearer’s entire personality, but rather be an accessory to blend with other parts of their personalities. “I want to make and sell pieces that complete a look rather than a complete look. The creation of styling, the art of styling, the art of putting your stuff together, the imagination in it, is slowly being taken away.”
She also knows that although not everybody will like or even understand her clothing, at least one person will. And, for her, that’s enough.
Photographed by KIM SANTOS. Fashion direction by RYUJI SHIOMITSU. Produced by JONES PALTENG. Makeup by MIKI LIUSON. Hairstyling by CATS DEL ROSARIO. Fashion Assistant ERICA TEROL. Model TATIANA RODRIGO
