Fil-Am designer's fusion eco-artwear features PHL indigenous fabrics

New York-educated Fil-Am designer Anthony Cruz Legarda presented on Sept. 28 a simple yet sophisticated collection he’s always known for — a fusion eco-artwear that combines exquisite indigenous Filipino fabrics with modern western sensibility.

 

A mixed crowd of Filipinos and non-Filipinos turned out at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue for the “Piña Couture New York” and relished at the sight of handwoven, embellished and dyed fabrics turned into elegant garments by master weavers from the Philippines.

 

“Quiet elegant and demure” is how veteran actress-turned-New York professor Lorli Villanueva described the collection ramped by models to invigorating classical music played on the piano by the great Eric Celerio.

 

Consul General Mario de Leon, Jr., who is also a guest of honor, said Legarda’s creation boosts eco-entrepreneurship and sustainable fashions among Filipinos by honoring traditional methodologies with native artisans.

 

Legarda is not just a celebrated designer of indigenous materials, he’s also a textile technologist who has forged partnership with the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) in supporting the local textile and allied industries achieve global competitiveness through utilization of indigenous resources, and development of technical competence in textile production and quality assurance.

 

“Our primary goal is to create a branding for the Philippine Piña to be a world-renowned fabric like the Thai Silk, Indian Cotton, and the Irish Linen, as we produce the finest natural and organic fabrics made by master artisans of the Philippines and tailor them into museum and heirloom quality clothing,” said Legarda. - Filipino Reporter