Once more, one of the best Filipino designers of his generation weaves his brand of magic with a collection for Bench Fashion Week consisting of pleated see-through skirts, hand-stitched trims, trompe-l’oeil shirts and woven panels made from labels unapologetically splashed with his name.
By Alex Y. Vergara
Amid hard, uncertain times, Philippine fashion remains one of the few bright spots in the country these days. And we have individuals like Ben Chan, head honcho of Suyen Corp., the company behind such home-grown brands as Bench, Human and Kashieca, to thank. His Bench Fashion Week 2018 held over a three-day period this past weekend at the Bench Tower’s Playground again provided a platform for both Filipino RTW and made-to-order fashion.
Day One featured such brands as Cotton On from Australia, Kashieca and Human. The show’s finale showcased the collection of established designer Ivarluski Aseron who, without a doubt, is one of the best designers of his generation. Ivar didn’t disappoint with a 26-piece collection inspired, in his own words, by “off center.”
Using such materials as crinoline, wool and cotton, among others, the designer eschewed color in favor of a somber neutral palate consisting mostly of black, gray and white. As expected, he put to good use his expertise in tailoring and eye for proportion to produce runway-worthy pieces with built-in global appeal.
Despite majority of the looks’ textured quality, thanks in part to layering and unusual juxtaposition of details, the collection managed to look light. This was due, thanks in part, to Ivar’s use of a light, see-through material like crinoline, which he combined with heavier, more solid materials like wool.
But the real magic lies in his pleated treatment of the delicate material in black, which he further tweaked by adding classic book leaf inserts in contrasting white fabric. One look even had a series of pleats that ran counter to one another.
“Pleating isn’t new, but the process of combining two pleats that counter or oppose each other is,” he says. For lack of a better description, the designer calls the process “reverse pleating.” Admittedly, he says, it was one of the most difficult details to do in the collection.
Apart from his use of tried-and-tested visual elements like trompe-l’oeil in the form of hand-printed details on a black winter wool shirt, Ivar also resorted to a number of labor-intensive flourishes such as hand-stitched trims and hand-woven panels and overcoats.
Admittedly, he has done woven panels before, but this is the first time he has used the label of his clothes as material. Yes, the very label the forms his name. Take that, logo whores! We see the humor, which others may find kitsch. But there’s certainly nothing kitsch or cheap with regards to Ivar’s designs and sense of aesthetics.
One question I got from a Filipino fashion watcher based in the US was the clothes’ “wearability” in a tropical country like the Philippines. Well, he obviously doesn’t know or has forgotten about the Pinoy upper crust’s lifestyle.
If you could afford Ivar’s clothes, you could certainly afford to turn on your car’s AC full blast on your way to an air-conditioned five-star venue. But kidding aside, certain looks, especially those incorporating crinoline, seem okay to be worn in the Philippines.
Ivar isn’t sure yet what Ben intends to do with the clothes. There has been talk that they’d be exhibited in one of his bigger stores, most probably Bench’s global store at BGC, before the Christmas rush.
Meanwhile, Ivar is open to making more affordable versions of his pieces for Bench’s legions of mass-market shoppers. Should that happen, expect cost-conscious fashionistas to troop to the nearest Bench outlet ASAP.
