Jorel Espina’s nostalgic expressions

2024 for fashion designer Jorel Espina started just right. Having finished the Tahum pop up in Iloilo just a week ago, his next project is his comeback to Greenbelt 5 to open a pop up this February 11 at the Filipino Zone and will run until July 2024.

Nostalgia reigns in the celebrated designer's latest collection as he pays homage to his hometown of Iloilo and gives pride to being Filipino. What's special about this latest pop-up is that starting April, there will be a guest brand that will participate weekly — a pop-up within a pop-up!

Jorel revisits the beauty of old-world Filipiniana and transforms them into contemporary wear. A play of proportions takes shape and traditional silhouettes are redefined in modern forms. Volume is romanticized with a variety of must-have pieces and styled with a sculptural dance in elegance. There's a certain natural air of regality that echoes in the narrative of design.

It is reflective of this designer's roots and ancestry in a historical land once known as the country's seat of aristocracy. The casual and the polished that is currently the state of fashion is seen through this patriotic collective inspired by the context of heritage that matters.

Jorel offers a variety of summery "Filipiniana-inspired essentials that you can mix and match. Painted in modern neutrals and hints of color, they channel a certain touch and feel of understated sophistication."

The collection presents refined luxury characterized through the use of precious local fabrication. These chic and unique textures include piña, silk cocoon, cut-out laces and different handwoven fabrics — a testament to his nationalistic sensibilities.

Moreover, deep inside the core of this seasoned designer is a noble sense of pride of place which he never forgets — an admirable quality not so many possess. It brings to mind a famous local saying, "Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan." Mabuhay ka, Jorel Espina, and may your tribe multiply!