The roster of Filipino fashion designers now includes new names. Here’s how their debut collections fared at Rampa Manila 2
The art of fashion, in theory and in practice, is a conversation. Each garment speaks a story that accompanies the language of the looks. And at the busy streets of Manila, voices of talents dare not be hushed. In the second year of Rampa Manila, three fresh-faced creators join the show alongside seasoned designers Neric Beltran, Marc Rancy, Val Taguba, Anthony Ramirez, and Jhobes Estrella. Up-and-coming designers Dhenyze Guevara, Morissette Magalona, and Joanna Santos transform Divisoria’s rich fabrics and textiles into wearable and stylish pieces under their own creative visions. With fashion being a constant dialogue, these designers are proving to be novel yet eloquent speakers.
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Dhenyze Guevara
Bending the rules of fashion with her debut, avant-garde bridal collection Something Borrowed, Dhenyze Guevarra injected a breath of vitality into Filipino fashion, and perhaps, the usual garments of a marrying woman, too. Her liking for eccentric silhouettes and a surrealist aesthetic come in the form of voluminous camisa and butterfly sleeves as well as beadwork. “I always like to add shock value—that’s the basis of my designs,” the young designer tells MEGA. “I want to make the audience question the design of each piece.”
In the hands of Dhenyze, each number speaks to her love of design detail, architectural approach to proportion and layers. Her collection was created as a marriage of both parts of her designer identity: half-eccentric, half-Filipino. The pieces also fused together the traditional Filipino garments with her modern, exploratory touch. “It’s surreal doing a show with these big-name designers and seeing their works upfront,” Dhenyze shares with MEGA. “They’re an inspiration to me, and Rampa is a platform to showcase who I truly am as a creative.”
Morisette Magalona
Usually beginning with a sketch, Morisette Magalona took a different route for his debut capsule collection for Rampa Manila: sourcing the Divisorian fabrics and textiles first. “Then I injected my design aesthetic into the materials—modern and futuristic, with a focus on Filipino roots,” the young designer declares.
The Philippine national symbols, such as the sampaguita and the bangus, are reference points that Morisette drew from. He puts together a visual feast of Filipino culture—reimagined and reinvented with an eye for camp through floral elements, as well as fabric manipulation further accentuated by gilded detailing. But at the heart of it all is still responsible representation. “I wanted to respect our culture,” he tells MEGA, “but also elevate it in a masterwork of fabrication and construction.”
The different shapes and silhouettes Morisette presented with his debut collection explored the oscillation of design between structure and ease, rigor and fluidity—presented in fantastically orchestrated pieces. “Showcasing my work with renowned fashion designers is an honor,” Morisette shares. “To join them here is a privilege, and I’m overwhelmed.”
Joanna Santos
Joanna Santos envisions an avant-garde future for Filipino fashion where construction—the making and manipulation of it—reigns. Her collection focused on draped and layered fabrics with angular yet asymmetrical tailoring. Reworking Divisorian fabrics and textiles with inventive draping, embroidery, and cinching, the young designer opens up to MEGA, “This was a personal journey. It’s a tribute to my late grandmother.”
Humans are all too familiar with the tricky thing about emotions—oftentimes, they are a surge of varieties layered and attached to one another. While Santos’ collection ultimately captures grief, there was also a sense of passion. “Through the fabrics, techniques, and silhouettes, I wanted to channel my emotions and create something visually striking, so that each piece represents every stage of grief that I went through.” From the warp of heavy fabrics contrasting the weft of bouncy silk, Joanna finds herself moving forward—as a grandchild and a designer.
“This is my first fashion show, and along with talented young designers and veteran designers I look up to, I’m honored I got the chance to do this,” Joanna concludes.
Photographed by GRANT BABIA
