Bohol designer Deya Tsyna wins Fashion Aid PH's inaugural 'The Grant' competition

Deya Tsyna, a designer who hails from Bohol, has emerged as the grand winner of Fashion Aid Philippines’ first-ever “The Grant” competition.

The finale was held in Intramuros, Manila and was graced by figures from the government and creative industries, including First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, DTI secretary Cristina Roque, and designers such as Michael Leyva, Inno Sotto, and Oliver Tolentino.

GMA Network Senior Vice President Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes was also in attendance.

Deya secured the win with her creation, the Dioleta Accent Chair, which pays homage to Filipino heritage.

Made in collaboration with basketmakers of Bohol, the piece drew inspiration from the Visayan word “Padayon,” which translates to “to continue, to persist, to carry on.” The chair’s infinite form is intended to symbolize resilience.

Deya shared that her motivation stemmed from her personal life, having been inspired by her lola and her single mother.

She attributed her victory to “being authentic to my story and telling it and incorporating it into my design.”

When asked why she chose to design a chair, Deya answered that she wanted to challenge herself and detailed the time and cost involved in her creation, noting that the physical construction took around two weeks, while the overall design process spanned one month.

The materials alone cost P50,000.

Deya’s win comes with significant rewards, including a cash prize of P1,000,000, a sponsored trip to Australia, and a study grant there.

She plans to use the prize money to “give back to my lola, to my mom, kasi sila talaga ‘yung nag-support sa akin.”

The entries were judged through a criteria focused on creativity, originality, execution and technical skills, marketability, and global appeal. Fashion Aid Philippines President Paul Cabral expressed strong admiration for Deya’s piece, highlighting its “international appeal.”

The competition itself was described by Cabral as “tedious,” starting with potentially more than 100 applicants. This pool was narrowed down to approximately 130 who brought their items to Salcedo, before being further sorted into 60, and finally, 20 finalists.

Fashion Aid Philippines member Francis Libiran emphasized the competition’s broader impact, explaining that it helps raise Filipino creativity.

“The journey is very inspirational if you think about it because it gives Filipino creativity a level wherein they showcase it to the world,” Libiran said. “And makikita mo ‘yung talents na meron ng Filipinos all throughout the Philippines. Ang dami. Nakakatuwa.”

“My message to the winner, you know what? When you represent the Philippines, you need to put our culture, our heritage on the world map. We need that right now. We need that identity. We need the culture of the Filipino to be known out there. It's very unique. It's very special.” —JCB, GMA Integrated News