Think embroidery. Chances are there are images in your head of artisans working in a jusi village, and the President delivering his SONA speech in a designer barong fit for yesteryears’ Buwan ng Wika.
Anne Marie Saguil knows what you’re thinking. Creative director of Amarie—a clothing line of barong dresses rendered in modern styles and fabric—she’s busy with a mission to bring back embroidery not only for #throwbackthursdays, but for everyday wear.
This is surprising for someone weaned on Western aesthetics, educated in textile at University of California Davis, and who pursued fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in San Francisco. But as an American-Filipino woman who’s had parents who ran handicraft stores back in the day, this is nothing but expected.
“I’ve always loved embroidery. I was always looking at the Barong Tagalog. I thought the embroidery we do here in the Philippines is so beautiful. I didn’t really do anything about my passion for it until 2010 with Amarie,” shares Anne.
The process was a tedious one. Aspired to do something special with hand-intensive techniques, Anne began with embroideries in Bulacan, then visited Taal to begin working with different people.
“I found a group of women I connected with. They had to know me, and I had to know them so I can also keep the quality. I have to keep encouraging the artisans to keep up with their craft,” says Anne.
And keep up they did: The intricate, hand-woven embroidery you’ll find in Amarie’s resort dresses and tunics is not only indicative of mastery, but also of the easy-breezy lifestyle we have here.
The brand is also prompted by Anne’s frustration with Filipinos not having any national identity in terms of dress. “Another thing is, we actually don’t get to feel our culture in clothing. We all dress very Western,” says Anne (which prompted me to look at my own red sweater and geometrical skirt), “What are we going to wear to feel local? It’s not baro’t saya!”
One thing’s for sure: you can wear Amarie—not only for its signature art, but also for the quality. “It doesn’t have to be about embroidery or wearing Filipiniana, for as long as it’s a strong product with a strong point of view,” tells Anne.
Amarie. For more information, visit their website.
Photos by Tammy David
Styling by CJ Tan
Makeup by Chryssta Cordova
Hair by Bullet Reyes
