Fresh from his successful stint at the ASEAN Bridal and Couture Showcase last year, business savvy fashion designer Pat Santos continues to reach greater heights as the first Filipino to join in the illustrious designer league showing off his exquisite masterpieces at this year’s Penang Fashion Week runway which will be held in Penang, Malaysia this coming May 3-5, 2019.
“I’m very proud and honored to meet different artists from all over ASEAN, I got to explore their cultures as well. My vision is to open the avenues of possibilities for all the Filipino designers here in the country and improve the Filipino fashion,” says Pat.
Pat will be showcasing his ten-piece collection for both male and female which dramatically revolved around the ‘gold’ theme. A shining reverie that has become his main inspiration for creating a magnificent array of wearables. Thus, his gold collection synergizes the elegant Pantone trend of the season turning it into fanciful ensembles that will soon debut on the runway.
His clothes’ aesthetics are inspired by European built. Think of silhouettes, tailored suits, pants, skirts, top all constructed to the bone structure of European. It’s his way of forward-thinking that are adapted to the changing times. Pat would like to call his collection as maximalism but very contained all attuned to what his brand of fashion connotes which is global and wearable.
“We’re already done with the minimalist era. I wanted my theme to be maximalism because I believe that you should always be brave, be bold and be experimental in terms of your fashion choices. I get to show it on my collection that will be showcased on Penang Fashion Week. Hopefully, people will like it,” Pat explains.
Brave. Bold. Experimental. Three words that have inspired him to add outlandish accents on his designs like a cabbage rose, ruffles, cascades, and bows. Likewise, Pat also put some tweaks on the fashion basics turning it into extraordinary fabrics as it will be seen on the brocade, metallic pleats, mesh, toast organza, and animal prints.
“I want to think of it as conforming to the western culture, breaking new grounds and entering new levels in fashion. We should be more open in trying new aesthetic,” Pat explains.
Speaking of setting new standards, Pat is also happy to share that he created his pieces through fabric manipulation. It’s level-up print customization to create a whole new kind of print on the fabric.
As of this moment, Pat is the only one who specializes in this method and he’s proud to share it with everyone. “It’s not just buying fabrics. It’s about manipulating the different textures accordingly to achieve a new level of aesthetic.”
“Aesthetic is always the main consideration and will always be on top of my priority when designing for clothes. It’s like sticking with the golden rule of comfort and wearability,” he reiterates. Amazingly, everything threads it in.
Being a part of a prestigious international designers’ guild that is ASEAN Fashion Designers Showcase (AFDS) lets him explore new aesthetics and learn more from his ASEAN counterparts, Pat is grateful for all the learnings that have come his way and as well as to be given a chance to collaborate with fellow ASEAN designers.
“The fun part of it is that there’s always an exchange of ideas among ourselves to improve the aesthetic. I think it’s the camaraderie that we have developed over time and it’s also enriching our creative side.” Pat has successfully bridged the barriers and is enjoying his sweet time making rounds in the ASEAN countries.
Moving forward, this is his way of continuously making his steps of reaching new borders. He has set his sights on bringing his brand of fashion in countries like Indonesia, China, Singapore, and Sri Lanka as his short term plan. Pat is totally optimistic that he can go head-on with other fashion stalwarts soon on the runways of New York and Paris in his long term plan.
From the looks of it, Pat is definitely on the right glimmery track. Now, we should all take a seat and be an avid spectator.
