We all know the traditional Filipiniana, but we also know that it’s being modernized in ways that we did not imagine. And there are a lot of homegrown Filipino designers who do their own version of the traditional Filipino costume; making it very unique, creative- and most of all, modernized. The modernization of Filipino fashion has caught the interest of possibly every modern Filipina, hence, giving rebirth to the traditional Filipiniana. It’s being modernized by people from small businesses to major celebrity designers all over the country. We see it as it’s being widely shared on the Internet, making it truly accessible to this generation.
Filipino designers modernize the Filipiniana in such a way that they add their own flare to it and make it wearable in a daily basis. From a traditional ceremonial outfit into a staple wear of the everyday Filipina, the integration paved way to countless innovative designs that sustain the traditional Filipino elements while putting out more stylish designs in the process. There are many fashion brands out there who are able to promote sustainability in clothing and give significance to the local fabrics and designs. Famous social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook definitely helped in spiking up the engagement with the modern FIlipina due to all the brands that you can easily find with just a tap away. Even the major e-commerce shopping merchant, that is known to be Beauty MNL, really does its job in helping supporting local and buying local by promoting it all over their website. They even have their own section in their website where they show all the local brands that you can choose to buy from— truly making it accessible to every Filipina they want to cater to in the market. Social media influencers also do their job in supporting and buying local by simply sharing, purchasing, and doing paid partnerships with local brands in order to help boost their credibility in the market. As a consumer, it would make me want to buy the items that they are promoting since I am an avid fan of them and I would like to buy what they buy too.
You will see various unique ways of how the traditional Filipiniana is being made, and we can clearly see that it’s not only being embraced by online brands, but also the biggest Filipino media and entertainment group that is ABS-CBN. They recently had their Star Magic Ball where the theme was the modern Filipiniana. Celebrities wore masterpieces that are incredibly unique yet still incorporated the elements of what the traditional Filipiniana is. They still remain distinct in its culture, they just added a bit flare to it. This event reached to a lot of Filipinos, thus an increase in awareness was made in hopes that every Filipina and Filipino will be inspired and have a sense of call to action to embrace wearing the national costume loud and proud.
Immersing Filipino Tradition Into Modern Fashion 