Designing without limits

In its 10th year, Sinulid proves that student-led fashion can be both deeply personal and boldly forward-looking. The annual culminating event of the Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) program of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde returned as a powerful showcase of style innovation, cultural consciousness, and creative risk-taking, while also marking the 30th anniversary of the Benilde FDM program.

Titled “Awanggan,” the milestone edition gathered 91 graduating student designers who transformed the runway into a platform for dialogue, disruption, and design evolution. “Awanggan” comes from the archaic Tagalog words “awan,” meaning “zero,” and “hanggan,” meaning “limit.” Once used in science and mathematics, the term now takes on new life in fashion, serving as a framework for imagining limitless futures through design.

With over 270 looks presented, this year’s Sinulid stood out for its daring exploration of the body as both subject and medium. Each designer examined their personal relationship with the body and how it occupies, challenges, or reshapes ideas of identity, space, and time. The result was a striking range of silhouettes and concepts that felt intimate yet expansive, grounded in lived experience but unafraid to push boundaries.

The runway presentation unfolded in three acts: “Takipsilim,” “Hating Gabi,” and “Bukang Liwayway.” Together, these chapters created a visual journey that moved through different moods and moments, introducing ensembles that ranged from ready-to-wear to contemporary and avant-garde. The collections reflected distinct organic visions and creative processes, offering a retrospective of the many design possibilities explored by the graduating class.

Held last Jan. 31, 2026, at the PNB Financial Center Banking Hall along Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City, the showcase highlighted the years of rigorous training behind each piece. Beyond aesthetics, the collections revealed how the next generation of designers is being equipped not only with technical skill, but also with business strategy and a global perspective on fashion.

The celebration closed with special citations, honoring the design students and their collections. Awardees were Aniann Maurel Bonotano (“Yahay”), Mabyn Faith De Vera (“4Three”), Rainer Joshua Dysanco (“Race Reverie”), Amanda Antonette Garcia (“Hypervision”), Ashanti Nicole Medes (“LRTW”), Jillian Ngo (“The Armor Paradox”), and Mishika Sasakura (“Class Dismissed”). Additional awards were given to standout students, Design Concept Award to Monica Francesca Cortes (“Mangan Ta”), Surface Design Award to Leainn Shagami Felizco (“Walang Tamad sa Quezon”), Digital Portfolio Award to Kirsten Camille Bianzon (“I Have Been Here Before”), Brand Concept Award to Pancho Tinsay (“Soundscapes”), and the Emerging Creative Talent to John Simon Co (“The Treaty”).

More than a fashion show, Sinulid 2026 served as a tribute to the past, a celebration of the present, and a confident glimpse into the future. With “Awanggan” as its guiding theme, the event affirmed that, for these young designers, creativity has no limits.