Some of the country’s most in-demand designers are bringing the heat to this year’s BFW runway with their newest capsule collections and collaborations with Suyen Corporation’s local and foreign brands.

March 31, 2023

This year's iteration of Bench Fashion Week highlights the latest style trends that will make the summer days even brighter. Following the feat of last year's compelling fashion presentations that paid homage to childhood nostalgia, the Zoomers, and all things Filipino, BFW Spring/Summer 2023 is set to brim the runway with the same vivacity but with a different yet refreshing parade of dreamy prêt-à-porter and sartorial wonders.

Aside from what's hot from Suyen Corporation's local and foreign brands, including Secret Fresh, Urban Revivo, and Bench Swim, BFW Spring/Summer 2023 will also feature the newest capsule collections and collaborations from some of the country's brightest designers and boldest trailblazers in the Philippine fashion scene: TRNZ, Jaggy Glarino, Bon Hansen Reyes, CHED Studio, Bigboy Cheng, Rhett Eala, and Michael Leyva.

Bigboy Cheng (Secret Fresh)

*Left to right:* ***Ben Chan*** *and* ***Bigboy Cheng***

Christian Robert "Bigboy" Cheng takes his cue in venturing into the business world from his ardent passion for art. Known for his ultra-rare collections of sneakers and streetwear, Bigboy Cheng is a master in weaving the varied elements of art and the intricate aspects of fashion, as evident in his lifestyle brand Secret Fresh.

About the brand:

Secret Fresh focuses on creating contemporary apparel, accessories, and everything in between that's different but made for everyone. From its beginnings as a brand with a niche toy market, it evolved to become an influential hub for fashion, art, and pop culture.

TRNZ

Like any teenager in the bygone era, TRNZ (Terence) was copiously immersed in Japanese anime series airing daily on local television, introducing him to the labyrinthine science of art. After receiving a BFA Major in Advertising, he spent his early years as an art director at TBWA/SMP, a global network advertising agency.

In 2017, he shifted directions and started dabbling in visual arts. His time in advertising propelled him to embrace a multimedia approach in his work. As an artist, he creates a world with alluring narration while keeping his style characteristics unique.

Designer's notes on his collaboration with HUMAN:

"The Good Friend Circle collection features design elements that perfectly evoke our relationship with the people we are with, specifically those we call our constants, regardless of our personalities. It also nods to the apparent tragedies brought about by the Internet era and the quintessence of having a few true friends in this day and age."

Jaggy Glarino

Deemed an avant-garde Filipino fashion designer, Jaggy Glarino is known for his intuitive design approach, bold design choices, and multi-dimensional take on garment construction. As a testament to his ingenuity, he built his then-budding fashion career through YouTube tutorials, Japanese magazine pattern stencils, and by studying interesting thrift clothing articles.

Through his non-conformist approach, Jaggy excelled in fashion design competitions such as the Bench Design Awards 2017, honoring him the chance to showcase his S/S 2017 collection at the Amazon Tokyo Fashion Week in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. He was awarded the Lulu Tan-Gan Knitwear Award in 2015, granting him a short-course scholarship grant at the renowned Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design in London, UK.

Jaggy was also chosen as one of the designers to participate in the prestigious gathering of fashion design talents worldwide through the International Fashion Showcase at the London Fashion Week 2016.

Designer's notes on his Core Memory collection:

“The collection is a personal odyssey through my childhood core memories: our humble cafeteria (karinderya) as my playground; growing up observing my grandmother weave buri mats (banig) and crochet pillow covers; and playing dress-up with my sister using our printed cotton linen and curtains.”

Bon Hansen

Since he was young, Bon Hansen Reyes has embosomed his dream of becoming a well-rounded fashion designer. In 2017, he established his namesake brand HANSEN, offering contemporary menswear pieces with an unconventional take that clients could easily incorporate into their wardrobes.

Bon won the Bench Design Awards in 2019, which paved the way for him to present his collection at the Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo that same year. He also became part of the recently concluded Ternocon 2023 as one of the finalists. Bon is also a menswear instructor at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines.

Designer's notes on his Simoun Collection:

“Heavily inspired by Rizal's second novel El Filibusterismo, the Simoun Collection symbolizes the height and end of the novel's main protagonist’s life. It explores the character's intense, rebellious nature, adapted to a modern context, and interpreted through our signature tailoring with defined lines and structure. Through Simoun, I wanted to remind everyone never to submit to what society dictates and encourage them to be more expressive and assertive.”

CHED Studio

An artisanal approach to creating fashion defines Ched Studio. Under the creative direction of Christian Dalogaog, a fashion educator mentoring young designers in design principles, fashion history, and couture techniques, Ched Studio has been featured and profiled by the local and international press. The list includes Esquire, i-D Magazine, WWD Japan, Vogue Italia, Vogue Runway, and global online editions, including L’Officiel Manila, Preview, Lifestyle Asia, and Tatler Philippines.

Ched Studio has represented the Philippines in Milan Fashion Week, at the Super Talents event, Lao Fashion Week, and at the Asian Fashion Meets Tokyo in Rakuten Fashion Week – Tokyo as a Bench Design Awards winner.

The design studio's notes on its Greatest Hits Collection:

“The Greatest Hits Collection is our love letter to our friends and loyal patrons. We wanted to share our story, passion for what we do, and thoughts with everyone despite the hate and bigotry that have been prevalent in our society. The collection is our statement that while we are going through tough times, we are always grateful.”

Rhett Eala

With his prodigious resume of outstanding sartorial works, Rhett Eala drafts his ingenuity through everything the eye can see. For over 30 years, he has brought beautiful pieces to numerous runways, significant beauty pageants, and important social events. Some of these notable creations have become formalwear staples in the early aughts and iconic pieces in fashion history.

Notes on the collaboration with Kashieca:

Rhett’s collaboration with Kashieca is an ode to his beginnings as a designer — a poignant recall of his early relations with ready-to-wear. The Kashieca x Rhett Eala collection poses an array of hem dresses, laced shorts, sleeved tops, and linen jumpers, whose designs are brimming with summer colors, intricate details, playful fabrics, and easy-to-match silhouettes. The collection takes its cue from the brand's aesthetic direction and Rhett's signature feminine styles.

Michael Leyva

From running the galleys of planes to becoming one of Manila’s new wave of iconic designers, Michael Leyva has set a new tone in the Philippine fashion scene by merging classic aesthetics with modern design techniques.

His fashion training started in 2012; from then on, he started accepting celebrity clients and instantly became a buzz in the local fashion circuit. Fast forward to 2016, Michael went on to pursue fashion design in Central Saint Martins in London, which was also his career turning point. With his dedication and passion for forging style pieces that made big waves in the industry, he established himself as one of the country’s top young designers. He recently celebrated his 10th anniversary at the National Museum of the Philippines with television personalities Vice Ganda and Anne Curtis as his muses.

Notes on his collection:

The collection boasts intricately-designed pieces inspired by Philippine mythology accentuated by vibrant colors: purple, cobalt blue, teal green, pink, yellow, and neon hues. It also synthesizes Michael Leyva's signature and new techniques, such as twisted draping, florets, book pages, scales, and lace cut-outs.

Intending to bring Philippine culture to the younger generation, Michael Leyva is showing a matrimony of sporty and glam for this year’s Bench Fashion Week.

Meet The Designers for Bench SS Fashion Week 2023