Tao by Bitagcol
Telling her story through elements of the past, philippine humor, art, and culture, Jo Ann Bitagcol first launched her collection of printed scarves featuring outtakes from the book, Fashionable Filipinas.
Images provided by Before the Deadlines
June 16, 2023
Bitagcol in the beginning.
It’s been four whole years since fashion icon, photographer, visual artist, and designer Jo Ann Bitagcol first launched her collection of printed scarves featuring outtakes from the book, Fashionable Filipinas. Bitagcol recalls, “Authors Gino Gonzales and Mark Lewis Higgins, paved the way for the first scarf prints to come to life.” The maiden collection, aptly dubbed baul, featured cherished vintage pieces typically hidden in grandma’s wooden chest. These included, among others, delicately embroidered garments (like the barong, baro, and terno), beaded purses, silver laden combs, brushes, boxes and other objects that recall a genteel era.
Four and Full Circle.
As she now marks four years in design, Bitagcol launches a new collection that brings to life the very same vintage pieces from her maiden collection. The visual artist explains, “The pieces in these prints are actually from the vintage collection of Gino Gonzales. We were just playing around with them and creating new, contemporary forms.” As an artist drawn to the human figure and dolls, Bitagcol’s instinct led the creation of a new collection that portrayed endearing female Philippine characters through vintage assemblage.
Play, Humor, Art, and Heritage.
“Gino had a great idea of adding other elements to bring these characters to life–a spoon ladle, hats, and small baskets. As we experimented with the forms we created, we began giving them names like lola, lola chef, ate, ate fashionista, tita, and tita madame.” In local colloquial speech, these references mirror the Filipino’s distinct sense of familiarity, and humor when calling out to friends, family, acquaintances, or even strangers whose names are unknown.
Bitagcol also cites National Artist, cartoonist, illustrator and painter, Mauro Malang as a focal point of inspiration. Iconic works such as Three Women and Mother and Child compelled the artist to look into more abstract, contemporary ways of presenting the Filipina today. “Every time I would go to an art exhibit or visit a museum, I would always find myself gravitating to his works. In general, I would always be drawn to figures of the human body and the contemporary ways that they are portrayed.” says Bitagcol.
Pieces from the collection include scarves, shirts, baro tops, robes, wrap dresses, and pina dresses. Each one features various tao prints layered, mixed, and matched to go from day to night. Bitagcol’s fluid and versatile designs celebrate not just the artistry behind each piece. Above all, they highlight the wearer and his or her unique sartorial style.
In true form, tao, is a testament to Bitagcol's unique point of view. She seamlessly brings together treasured elements from the past, distinct Philippine humor, contemporary design, and her signature storytelling to tell the next chapter in her journey as a visual artist.
Jo Ann Bitagcol’s journey as a visual artist saw a seamless shifting from muse to lens woman and later, a designer under her namesake brand, BITAGCOL. Following a stellar career as a fashion model, she found her place behind the lens. Bitagcol’s images are distinguished by a raw and fresh point of view—devoid of the unnecessary layers or frills. Her storytelling through photography is strikingly simple yet full of depth and insight.
Bitagcol later applied her signature imagery onto garments, which birthed the BITAGCOL brand. Its premier collection in May 2019 saw a transfer of her digital prints onto silk satin scarves. Bitagcol shares: “I wanted to sell my photographs, but on a different medium. So, I thought I would translate them into wearable art pieces that are functional.” This would later pave the way for an exploration into other garments including her now-iconic shirts, skirts, robes, and aprons.
