TOKYO – The Manila Fashion Festival (MFF), the biggest fashion runway event in the Philippines, held a show featuring collaborative projects from promising contemporary Filipino fashion designers and Japanese textile manufacturers at the “Creative and Sustainable Economy Through Innovation” event on the sidelines of the Commemorative Summit of the 50th year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation last Dec. 17 at the Peacock Room of the Imperial Hotel.
MFF teamed up with STYLEM, a leading fabric trading company in Japan, to showcase the artistry and ingenuity of Filipino designers by utilizing high-quality sustainable Japanese textiles and incorporating indigenous Filipino fibers. They have been doing this through their “PH Mode x TYO” runway shows at the Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo since 2022.
“It is very exciting to see the results of the partnership between the Go Lifestyle Groups from the Philippines [MFF organizer] and STYLEM Takisada-Osaka Corporation in producing contemporary wear and highly marketable products using indigenous Philippine products with Japanese expertise in traceable textiles,” President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who graced the event together with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, said in his keynote speech.
The President thanked the MFF for taking the lead in organizing what he called a “breakthrough” gathering. - Words by Florenda Corpuz, Photos by Din Eugenio
