alike.com.ph—In partnership with Panasonic Electronics, Art Personas is holding their bi-annual series of fashion shows, now called the Panasonic Manila Fashion Festival. It’s running from April 10-13, 2018 at the Marquee tents in EDSA Shangri-la Plaza. This season’s theme is “Infinite Styles,” referring to the infinity of possibilities both fashion and technology can reach. The four-day event features seasoned designers like Cheetah Rivera and Jinggay Serag, and newcomers like Rosbert Villar, showing off their new collections for the upcoming season. Designers from Cebu, like Jun Escario and Philipp Tampus, and Davao, such as Edgar Bayun and Aztec Barba, are invited as well. They’re representing the fashion scene in the different regions of the country. Additionally, there’s the graduation fashion show—the students’ first showcase of their talents in the local industry—of SoFA Design Institute ‘s Class of 2018.
Apart from these, the festival will also include talks and workshops from industry insiders and experts, with the likes of Direk Joey Reyes and photographer Jason Magbanua. The plenary sessions aim to teach Filipinos how to better navigate the fashion industry, especially when geared with Panasonic products—who’s now venturing into a more lifestyle branding. One such talk is “Point Of View,” a forum featuring travel and wedding photographer Erron Ocampo and videographer Fold Canela, among others. It will be held on April 11, 2018, at 3 pm. They’ll be sharing their own tips and tricks on how one can rise up and succeed in such a highly competitive industry.
For many people in the fashion industry, the relationship between fashion and technology has grown much stronger. Rosbert Villar, a young, up and coming designer who’s presenting his collection on the first day of the festival, views technology as a necessary and innovative tool for his craft. For example, technology has helped with his marketing promotions and merchandising. Conversely, he quipped, “In turn, fashion also inspires engineers and inventors to further innovate and create new technologies.”
Villar also shares that he made ample use of technology to design and make his collection for this season. Entitled “Eternal Rhythm,” he was inspired by the rich and fun lifestyle of the Harlem Renaissance —more commonly referred to as the Jazz Age of the 1920’s. His array of drop-waist dresses, embellished suits with padded shoulders, and velvet and fur-lined pieces were all constructed with the help of advanced cutting and pleating machines, as well as a steaming iron to keep everything in perfect shape.
The partnership was thought up by Art Personas CEO Ronnie Cruz, and Panasonic’s VP for Sales & Marketing, Masaru Toyota. Many participant designers see the Panasonic and Manila Fashion Festival as a partnership that will take the local industry to a whole new level—providing each other better avenues to innovate and get more people involved with both fields.
See the convergence of fashion and technology at the Panasonic Manila Fashion Festival. The shows run from April 10-13, 2018, at the Marquee Tent in EDSA Shangri-La Plaza.
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