This season of balls, parties, gettogethers, openings, and reopenings at what promises to be the tailend of the pandemic is a showcase of everything Filipino-made 

There’s a problem with revenge spending. It takes too much energy. It gets tiring. At some point, once vengeance is exacted, it’s over. But that’s true for everything else. Nothing lasts forever.

The challenge for Filipino designers, however, now that there’s a heightened desire to dress up, is to seize the opportunity to showcase the many possibilities of Filipino fashion and design. Personally, I don’t think it’s hard to sustain. Now that it’s back on stage—on the street, in the ballrooms and clubs, at the café or the diner, at the office, in the boardroom, even in the supermarket, we’re seeing more and more iterations of fashion Filipino-made, especially those drawn from cultures across the Philippines that never before have we associated with modern style.  So I’ve been going around—not that I can—asking our illustrious designers about fashion being back with a vengeance as we emerge boldly and happily from the three years of lockdowns we spent in our house clothes, our boxers, our nightshirts. Here’s what they have to say.

I would rather aptly call it a transition “from suppressed fashion” to a “Filipino fashion revolution.” Pinoys are just so tired of the pandemic.... we are bolder in facing the risks and so eager to wear our hidden fashion stash and even shopping for more. From what I’ve seen, strong purchases for anything Filipino made—accessories, footwear, bags, home, jewelry—are a strong indication of support for our badly hit entrepreneurs. Parties, events, conferences, and weddings with a modern Filipiniana theme have also been very encouraging. I see it as a “Filipino fashion revolution,” a change of mindset to support local creators, artisans, designers, suppliers, and manufacturers, who showcase their work at exhibits and popup markets and on online platforms. It’s a show of love and support for our country. It is not a fad or a trend but a clear Pinoy movement! —Randy Ortiz

There’s definitely “revenge spending,” as our GDP tells us. And along with art, travel, and food, fashion is back with a vengeance. Every designer I know is inundated with orders since epidemic restrictions were relaxed last March. There’s been a shortage of seamstresses. Some would be offered higher compensation for them to transfer. This is one surprising effect of revenge fashion, I guess. But we don’t complain, we keep calm and continue to create. —Dennis Lustico

Fashion vengeance is a good one! The holiday gatherings, invitations to dinners, events, and openings pave the way to get us all “dressed for the occasion.” What’s evident is the consciousness of sustainability in design, packaging, purchasing, and usage. A significant challenge for the ladies, however, is getting back into those heels! Ouch! —Lulu Tan Gan

Revenge fashion just means people want to dress up in nice, colorful clothes again since they couldn’t for two years.  I’m blessed that the US has opened up since last year, but here in the Philippines, even at the height of the pandemic lockdowns, many of my clients had been ordering clothes even during the pandemic, preparing for now, when things are finally opening up. Fashion is back with a vengeance. —Oliver Tolentino