Piopio’s first runway show was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Women in patterned garments danced down the runway with confidence and smiles on their faces. Making this presentation even more special was the addition of live music as Pasta Groove played records accompanied by the beats of The Hernandez Brothers. If you’re looking for your next festival outfit, Piopio’s Fiesta presented at Bench Fashion Week is the collection for you.
With just three weeks to prepare, the girls of Piopio got to work. “We’re focusing more on special fabrics. All fabrics are special but some take a longer time to weave like the ikat from Banaue and the yakan from Zamboanga. It is more tedious,” shares designer Ina Estacio.
They also did not follow the “traditional” method of forming a collection as they had to work with the fabrics they already had. “Whatever was available, that’s what we used. So every time we make a collection, we see first what telas we have and then we create the collection.” Ina also mentions that the production of fabric can take some time, “You can’t really predict what the weaver will have [at] that time. It’s really hard because production for tela takes two to four months to weave.”
If you love this collection as much as I do watch out for their pop up events and the opening of their flagship store in Palawan in March 2018.
Click through the slideshow to see Piopio’s first runway show and let us know what you think in the comments section.
Photos by Mac Villaluna
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