By IANE MACASIEB

KEEPING IT FRESH Gen Z models don the modernized Filipiniana outfits from the Araw-Araw collection

The Filipiniana gown, also known as the Maria Clara gown or terno, has given Filipino women a “sense of identity.”

It makes every Filipina feel empowered just by wearing it.

The national dress, which has played a big role in the country’s culture and heritage, is a traditional dress that can be identified by its puffy or butterfly sleeves, with blouse and long skirt. It is usually worn during special occasions. But the 23-year-old University of Sto. Tomas College of Fine Arts and Design graduate Rommel James de Dios has come up with the idea that Filipiniana can also be worn not just on special occasions but as everyday wear.
THE FINAL LOOK The reimagined Filipiniana is made to have a stylized P-pop look for a modern take
In his thesis photo collection, which he shared on his Facebook account, he re-imagined Filipiniana anchored on what’s trending in modern fashion. “At first I thought if the Filipiniana was an everyday wear ages ago, why can’t it be right now? That is why I want my first collection to be a modernized Filipiniana casual wear line,” he wrote. De Dios’ love for fashion has pushed him to modernize the Filipiniana design into everyday flair, but what really inspired him was seeing the K-pop girl group Blackpink who wore the modern Korean traditional dress *Hanbok* in one of their music videos. And being a fan of the P-pop girl group BINI, he immediately thought, what if P-pop groups could also perform in our national dress and be able to promote both Filipino music and culture at the same time? “Another inspiration was the P-pop culture, mainly P-pop girl groups, such as BINI. It started when I saw Blackpink wearing modern *hanboks* in a music video and I thought P-pop girl groups can also wear modern Filipiniana on the performance stage or in a music video,” he said.
BEHIND THE SCENES De Dios researched alternatives for fabrics used in Filipiniana wear to avoid cultural appropriation
De Dios said that it took him a week to finish sewing all six designs that have two to three pieces per design. The materials he used were a mixture of fabrics used for everyday clothing and fabrics used in Filipino traditional wear. “So there is denim that is prominent in casual wear. Cotton is also used for casual wear and is also used for the Filipiniana. And also rayon, a semi-synthetic fabric that is used as an alternative fabric for Filipiniana. It’s appropriate for the tropical climate. It’s very breathable,” De Dios explained. He shared that he started working on his thesis in August last year. The first phase was researching the modernization of cultural wear and appropriate materials that can be used as alternatives for fabrics to make sure that Filipiniana won’t lose its essence as well as to avoid cultural appropriation. In an attempt to break away from the stigma that Filipiniana can only be worn during special occasions, he crafted the idea of his thesis titled “Araw-araw: Modernized Filipiniana Casual Clothing Inspired by P-pop Girl Groups and Their Promotions.” The idea then came to life with another goal, to reimagine Filipino culture and comfort that caters to the new generation of Filipinos. “This is to reintroduce Filipino cultural wear to the new generation of Filipinos. With hope, it can spark in them interest in their heritage.

And I want to lose the stigma about the Filipiana worn only during special occasions or that it is ‘pang-mayaman lang’ (only for the rich people),” said De Dios.