Designer for 40 years: John Guarnes bares secrets to longevity, best celeb muses

Up close and personal, fashion designer John Guarnes' congenial nature impresses. 

His winning smile, eyes locked on you as he converses, the manner in which he speaks and tells his stories; the delivery and timbre of his voice and the thoughts he articulates highlight the fact that he is not just educated, but well-bred — a gentleman who has experienced and continues to live life in fine luxury. 

No wonder his expertise is top-notch; his passion when it comes to dressing up women does not wane and continues in the present.

“My design aesthetics have always been classy, clean and elegant,” Guarnes said. “Of course, I gave my mentors credit for they are the ones who exposed me to it and my experiences and inspirations made me celebrate sophistication that is never over-the-top, always beautiful and pleasurable to look at — and it is the kind of sophistication that one loves to wear.”

Beginning

Guarnes credits his mother, Aida, a dressmaker and seamstress, as his first fashion idol. In the dress shop of his mommy dearest, he learned the different types of fabrics, color combinations and accessories. She allowed him to read catalogues and draw dresses. When he was 11, a client of his mother saw one of his dress drawings. The client was impressed and requested his Mama Aida to create it. And voila, seeing the woman wear the dress that her mother made from his drawing, Guarnes knew then it was the start of something amazing.

In college, he took up a Communication Arts degree, knowing there would be many opportunities and possibilities coming his way.

Also, during his college years, Guarnes met his mentor, Babette Aquino, who took him as a costume apprentice first for a musical production. Aquino knew that he was a diamond in the rough and eventually molded and trained him, and trusted him to be the in-house designer of Aquino. This led to him having his own pret-a-porter collections for high-end department stores.

“The collections were called Wara, which was my Issey Miyake flirting with European fashion sensibility era and Mana, which was for corporate wear,” said Guarnes. Other RTW brands followed suit in leading malls.

He recalled that the '80s were the peak of Philippine fashion as the most revered trio, Pitoy Moreno, Aureo Alonzo and Ben Ferrales, were on the apex of the fashion pyramid, while Christian Espiritu, Rudy Dandan, Arturo V. Cruz and Emil Valdez held their own fashion courts. Of course, Renee Salud was the beauty queen maker. Josie Natori and Inno Sotto were the heads of the Fashion Designers of the Philippines.

“Knowing the fact that these legends ruled the fashion industry then, as a young designer at the time, I was inspired by their greatness and madness,” said Guarnes. “I was always in awe, respected them highly and marveled at how they did this and that statement piece or collection. They all paved the way for all the designers of my time and I believe until now.”

"After 40 years in the fashion industry, I may not be as big or as great as the fashion titans of yore, but I am happy to report that my name is a trusted and respected one,” said Guarnes with a confident smile, his face beaming with pride. “My loyal clients are still with me. I have a steady set of new ones as well. Kitang-kita nila na mas lalo silang gumanda sa suot nila na yari ko (They notice that they become more beautiful because of my creations).”

Relevance

“I put love and passion in the dresses I create, that is why I remain relevant,” said Guarnes. “Once my client wears them, the outcome is always a seasoned woman or a young miss, who becomes the center of attraction because she radiates confidence, knowing that what she wears makes her all the more beautiful.”

Travels; attending and participating in fashion competitions; genuine curiosity and hunger for knowledge about other cultures; collaborating with new designers and even visual artists — these, said Guarnes, are the components to never go out of style and to remain felicitous.

Garnes' best Filipina muses are Pia Wurtzbach and Anne Curtis. “They have style. The X factor that the legendary Eileen Ford used to look for in a supermodel. And grace. I believe that Pia and Anne, even if I make them dresses made of flour sacks, once they wear them, it will be fashionable," Guarnes said.

In conclusion, he advised: “Make wearable fashion your work of art. Less is always more. Nothing beats classy and understated elegance with clean workmanship, of course!"