Fashion at a glance

There’s a lot in store for the students of SoFA. The pieces we’ve seen during the annual grad show is just a peek into their contribution to the gradually evolving world of Philippine fashion.

For Amina Aranaz, design can either be a concept or a process. At SoFA (School of Fashion and Arts), an institute she co-founded, students are taught how to turn one’s stories and experiences into a design ─— a unique art form with different types of discipline.

“Fashion as a field of study is something not taken seriously in the past. Like, it is just something that people think you take as a hobby. But throughout the years, one of our goals is to professionalize fashion, to show that people can have a career in this industry,” Aranaz told Daily Tribune during the SoFA Grad Show 2019.

From its inception 12 years ago, aspiring designers have turned to the academe to study fashion. They have learned the ropes of the industry and what it takes to weave a piece of a possible masterpiece.

“There’s a lot more people now who feel confident to study fashion because they know that they can have a future. Every graduation show is a source of pride for me because every year is different. Every year you see an evolution in the students. There’s always an evolution in the classes. It’s something that every year I look forward to,” Aranaz said.

These budding designers create pieces inspired by another world, the concept of love, a person’s identity, belief and a mix of everything in between.

ZIA Ferrer’s collection, inspired by her parent’s infinite love.

KIM Han Vi’s version of an imbalanced world.

“One of the key things I’m seeing right now is support for the locally made which started as a trend, and I think it is here to stay. Another is the people being conscious of what they wear, people being more appreciative of how things are made, its process. There’s also a trend towards high valued things, a time when people are finally understanding the story behind items and not simply buying something because it’s beautiful.”

In the current state of Philippine fashion, supporting local textile is something that’s already part of every designer’s mindset ─ a good fashion evolution that Aranaz admitted she constantly sees.

“Our country is still at a very young stage compared to the rest of the world. We’ve only started to see more fashion brands reaching the international market, so there’s still a big opportunity out there for the young budding designers or Filipino designers in general. And at SoFA, one of our goals is to nurture our students and to teach them how to find a place for their creativity, not only in the local setting but also in the international market to create globally competitive designers. They will soon create a mark for Filipino design and creativity,” she shared.

Apart from SoFA’s internship program are activities that support their alumni. “We invite them back to join projects. The academe is always open to continue mentoring them if they think they need it.”

There’s a lot in store for the students of SoFA. The pieces seen during the annual grad show are just a peek into their contribution to the gradually evolving world of Philippine fashion.

“SoFA plans to open more bachelor degrees under the creative fields. We want the academe to be the creative hub, not just for fashion but really for design in general. We’re looking towards opening more programs in industrial design to serve the rest of the creative industry,” Aranaz concluded.