Fasshon to yūjō: Fashion and friendship

“Mabuhay ang pagkakaisa ng Pilipinas at Japan at ang talento ng Pilipino! Maraming salamat po! (Long live the unity between The Philippines and Japan and Filipino talent! Thank you very much!).”

Japan Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya impressed with his superb Filipino speaking skills while delivering his speech — only made more awesome by him and Suyen Corp. chairman and chief executive officer Ben Chan making a high-five — at the Threads of Dreams fashion show last Saturday, marking the 70th anniversary of the friendship between The Philippines and Japan.

The show, said Kazuya, was “where creativity and culture take center stage” and was “not only a testament to seven decades of friendship” but “a moment to look forward to with shared purpose” such as bringing the two nations’ “futures together” in “peace” and “prosperity.” The event, he added, “demonstrates the power of collaboration and regional understanding.”

“Just as fashion weaves a dress into a beautiful design, our two nations have woven a strong bond of trust, cooperation and mutual respect,” he said. “Even I can fully recognize that fashion is more than just style. It is a powerful medium of expression and identity. It protects our history, our values and our aspirations.”

According to him, since coming to the Philippines, he has “grown fond of the traditional Filipino attire.” He has been wearing the barong Tagalog “proudly,” while his wife Akiko “has likewise been captivated by the elegance and the exquisite craftsmanship of Filipino textiles.”

“In the same way, we also take pride with our own heritage – the Japanese kimono, which again, Akiko wears so beautifully,” affirmed the ambassador, wearing a denim kimono at the gala. “These personal appreciations have only deepened our admiration for the rich cultural heritages…”

“Particularly, as we face serious shared challenges both in our region and around the world, we must keep on weaving our futures together,” he vouched, opening the possibility of coming up with a new fashion line mixing “Japanese elegance with Filipino flair.”

At his speech, Chan recalled that the idea about the fashion show came during a casual chat “one easy afternoon” at the ambassador’s Manila home. According to him, while His Excellency Endo reminisced about his fond memories in the Philippines, he retorted with fond childhood memories in Japan.

“What stayed with me was not just what we talked about. But how we spoke to each other with warmth, openness and a sense of affinity with world culture,” Chan shared.

Hence, when Chan was invited by the embassy to think of a joint project marking the relationship between the two nations, what struck him, he said, was not “formality” but “friendship” borne out of their “shared appreciation for each other’s cultures.”

At the show, Chan said designer Rhett Eala presented his core memories of Japan, fused with his interpretations of The Philippines’ and Japan’s shared histories and cultures carried over through generations.

Jaggy Glarino, meanwhile, “toasts to Mindanao in the 1930s, discovering the history of Little Tokyo and tracing the migration imprint in our world now,” Chan described the designer’s collection.

The last designer in the showcase, Joey Samson, “imagined a meeting between history and fiction, creating as inspiration Juan Luna’s ‘Una Bulaqueña’,” and Jose Rizal’s brief but deeply romantic encounter with Usui Seiko, reportedly the 23-year-old daughter of a former samurai that taught Rizal Japanese culture and language.

Now also celebrating Filipino clothing brand Bench’s close to four decades in the business, Chan said that for them, “Fashion is never just about clothing.”

“It is about identity — national and personal. It holds history but is also open to continuous interpretation,” he added, noting that culture becomes more meaningful “when it is shared” and when tradition becomes “a dialogue with others.”

“Cultural exchange more than brings us together. It allows us to see one another more clearly, not as distant counterparts, but as participants in a shared story. It is formed through deep respect and connection,” he elaborated.

Bench, according to Kazuya, has contributed much not only to Filipino fashion but also to culture through the promotion of Japanese cuisine and furniture in the Philippines via brands like Marugame Udon and Maisen.

“This fashion show becomes a metaphor for the relationship between Japan and The Philippines, where diverse threads come together to form a harmonious tapestry,” His Excellency Endo noted.

“This tapestry is destined to last.”