The Role of Filipinos in Fashion and Costume Design
WRITTEN BY FRANCESA JANA SANTIAGO
Earlier this year, multi-award winning artist H.E.R. made headlines when she got casted as Belle in the blended showcase Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration. Her performance garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews, with a majority of fans even spotting her little homage to her Filipino heritage. Inscribed in the iconic white apron she wore was a phrase in Baybayin, the pre-colonial script of the Philippines, which simply translates as “Bel”. This was a special request she made to the Emmy award-winning costume designer Marina Toybina, who after researching about the history of the script, decided to paint it on instead of printing in order to maintain its sacredness.
This isn’t the first time Filipino culture and fashion was honored through the media. In Raya and the Lost Dragon, the South East Asian-inspired protagonist wore a salakot and used Arnis sticks as weapons, both cultural items of the Philippines. The design task for the futuristic fashion in Marvel’s Black Panther was assigned to visual designer Anthony Francisco, who took inspiration from Pan-African roots as well as textles he grew up seeing in his own Filipino home and clothing from the Igorots, an indigenous group from the Philippines. In some cases, it’s Filipinos’ talents in fashion that catapults them to global recognition: TONY award winner Clint Ramos is an easy reference! He is the first person of color to achieve the Best Costume Design category in 2016 for his work on the Broadway production Eclipsed. This Cebuano talent was also responsible for Jennifer Hudson’s outfits in the Athena Franklin biopic Respect.
Filipinos also make great designers for off-screen settings such as Hollywood red carpets. World-class names include Michael Cinco whose impressive resume include Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, as well as Monique Lhullier whose creations were worn by the likes of Emmy Rossum, Kaley Cuoco, Jameela Jamil and Heidi Klum all at the same Golden Globes night! And when it comes to international pageants, Filipinos never come short— one of the most talked about national costumes was Angele Kossinda’s lioness during the 2020 Miss Universe. Her ensemble was designed by fashion design student Kennedy Gaspar who in the following year, got Nigeria’s representative Maristella Okpala to win with another one of his creations!
The work and effort put into styling a celebrity or character is not solely for the purpose of making them look good; costume design plays a vital role in telling a story and making sure it’s effectively received by its audience. So seeing Filipinos succeed in doing so is further evidence of the Galing Pinoy (“Filipino Excellence”) and how in any opportunity, it is bound to exceed expectations. Oftentimes, it’s the one who wears the attire that gets all the attention so the creativity of our kababayans are prone to go uncredited or unnoticed in such a cut-throat industry such as this. In the end, it’s up to us, their community, to keep the spotlight on them. After all, when one of us rises, we all rise… even in the most fashionable ways.