When you dig deep into something, you discover things that have been layered over by years of experience and thoughts. For fashion and art, writing, and even architecture, going back to the roots to dig and reinvent the finds is the foundation of creating something entirely new while maintaining the root that most can understand and relate to. At the Vogue gala, we see this kind of reinvention in realtime.
Last August 29, Vogue Philippines celebrated its 365 days at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bonifacio Global City with a gala that showcases Vogue’s evolution over the past year. Its fashion and art exhibit, Common Threads: Re/Creating Fashion focuses on the common threads connecting culture, identity, heritage, and modernity.
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Re:Made
In the Re:Made showcase, designers like Patricia Perez Eustaquio, Quïo Alexander, Paolina Russo, and Neric Beltran presented outfits made from recycled items. Using these materials, these designers not only promote mindsets but they also highlight the idea of using more upcycling options.
Re:Create
Re:Create has artists like Wawi Navarozza, the S.C. Vizcarra artisans Ken Samudio and Bagasáo, and Olivia D’aboville showcasing arts and crafts through fashion and furniture. Their work makes use of various materials. Some include upcycled denim, water hyacinths, plastic water bottles, and embroidered beads. Even second-hand furniture was used.
In other exhibits like Dreamfields and Imaginary Frontiers, generative software took the spotlight. These were the portals that transported guests into different worlds. When guests walk into the Dreamfields which are dreamy and lush spaces, they see films and installations from past Vogue issues. Imaginary Fronteirs meanwhile is a cube-shaped portal that transports guests to what Vogue could be like in 50 years. Designed by the creative director Vince Uy, Imaginary Frontiers is a hypnotic peek into the future where the Filipino fashion identity harmonizes with nature. Together, they can make groundbreaking art that’s also ecologically responsible.
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This enchanting exhibition was located in one of Shangri-La’s grand ballrooms. Upon entering, guests are greeted with hypnotic lights that highlight the artists’ work clad within thin cylinder screens. These are thin enough to protect and bring the focus to the different ways these artists reinterpreted fashion and art by recalling our roots and giving it modern flair.
Photos courtesy of Vogue PH
