SoFA debuts a new breed of budding designers!

10:54 PM

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The fashion world has yet to welcome another breed of designer hopefuls who recently graduated from The School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFA). Last July 29, I was happy to witness the fresh force of 5 young individuals who showcased their graduation collection in front of an audience brimming with enthusiasts, newbies, professionals, gurus and pillars of the style and fashion industry.

SoFA is one of the country’s institutions in fashion education. They have a set of established visionaries in their faculty who help shape the world of fashion and design in order to cultivate the Philippines’ next creative professionals.

Going to the fashion show is expressing my deepest gratitude to SoFA for sponsoring last May’s Bloggers United bazaar. The event is the culmination of its students’ education featuring original designs and products on a professional platform. It is also the first manifestation of the skills and talents their students have developed under the tutelage of SoFA mentors. This also represents the students’ official debut in the fashion industry.

Being a personal-style blogger, though I may love fashion and everything “street style,” I don’t share the same fascination with runway shows. And because I’m far from being an expert, I’m not qualified to make a critical commentary on the ideas and concepts behind the designs.

Instead, I’m simply happy to have been invited and did one of my second loves: taking photographs! Hope you'll like the photos :). Let me walk you through the event.

The bloggers were seated at the second row from the runway stage. Look who are in front of us! It's the Preview Magazine team!



Cocktails were served while waiting. Oh look! I spotted the gorgeous Anna Roces!



Bumped into Patricia Prieto, who turns out to be a SoFA student (I didn't know, haha). And sat beside Ana all throughout the show.


Amina Aranaz-Alunan, co-founder of SoFA opened the program with a short speech.




Blackberry, the event's co-presenter had an opening segment showcasing its newest phone model and tablet! Afterwards, SoFA announced the winners of the brand's design contest - Cham Cham Gumin and Danika Navarro.





Winners of BB design contest.

The class of the previous year also presented the best of their collections. A few of the designs that made it to the catwalk are:


Danika Navarro's Adidas All 24 winning design

Triumph winners Steph Verano

and Pristine De Guzman

2011 graduate Paula Llave


2011 Academic scholar Dan Durian

My college orgmate, Fold Canela was also a SoFA 2010 graduate and he designed some fashion-forward and wearable menswear. He was also featured in Chalk's August Issue in the "New Wave of the Future" article.




Congrats Fold!

And now here are the photos of the runway proper! Descriptions are provided by SoFA. There were a couple of interesting pieces.

Kirby Cruz
“The designer was inspired by exaggerated lines. The collection shows the androgynous side of man, creating a loud visual impact that catches attention. The detail of the designs are more on 3 dimensional lines, cutting and overlapping and showing some skin to emphasize the silhouette of the body.”





Geoff Zordilla
“In this collection, the designer was inspired by the beauty of birds. He chose hummingbirds for its natural characteristics. He used the colors black, white, violet, green, orange, red, and blue for his palette. For the designer, the bird symbolizes freedom to feel free, to appreciate to love and to live.”


Nicee Atienza
“Crystals and Art Nouveau are the inspiration for the designer’s collection. Her design aesthetic is more on the classic side, with touches of artsy flair in every piece through experimentation with constrained and linear designs. For her menswear, she went for the classic men’s suit and added attitude and flair.”




Vince Tolentino
“The concept was to try and capture the breathless beauty of the galaxies, the bright light of stars contrasting with the darkness of wide, empty space. The designer’s particular interest is centered on Haute Couture working with fine garments that aspire to embody the highest quality workmanship.”




Gabbie Sarenas
“The image of effortless grace and strong calmness inspired this collection. Drapes, flowing skirts, peplums and bustiers make up the 9-piece set. Short skirts and full gowns are mostly in cream, beige, white and blush.”




This is my favorite collection. I don't know, maybe because I’m a girl, haha. I like the femininity and sophistication that each design embodies. All the items seemed very light, easy and effortless.






Congrats to all the graduates and to SoFA for producing these talented individuals! If some of you guys were inspired with this post and has now taken some interest in studying a certain fashion course that suits your interest, you can visit their website, http://sofamanila.com/ for more information.

Photo coverage by: Melanie Entuna

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6 comments

  1. Wow--- quite the event. I really love how each graduate has their own point of view!

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  2. Melai you take such great photos i love it!

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  3. Seems like such a fun event! I wish I could go to events like this. Love your photos Melai :)

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  4. Oh, nice post.)) Love your blog!!!.))))))

    I need your help ... Soon I am flying to Greece and I will have a two-day shopping in Athens .. You were there ever? If yes, what places you advise?

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate anything you have to say. Thanks for dropping by. It means so much to me. Love, Melai

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