This collection delves into my personal history as a Filipino immigrant in the United Kingdom. My family relocated to England when I was two years old, so I never had the chance to reconnect with my Filipino heritage. My collection is the result of my search for a unique way to express my Filipino identity.
Streetwear silhouettes and music references, particularly 90s hip-hop and R&B, have heavily influenced my personal style while growing up in the UK. By combining traditional Filipino dress fabrication and construction techniques, including its most prominent feature, the pleated “butterfly sleeve,” with casual streetwear silhouettes of 90s hip-hop, I hope to create a modern revival of traditional Filipino women’s dress known in the Philippines as the “Maria Clara”.
