HappeningPH Fashion! Ternocon 2025 Wraps up with Fashion Runway, Continues to Foster the Filipino Terno’s Timeless Legacy

Who will win the prestigious Pacita Longos Award at Ternocon 2025?

The highly anticipated fashion event of the year, celebrating the Filipino Terno, will culminate on January 26, 2025, at the Philippine International Convention Center, with an awarding ceremony and fashion show.

Organized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in partnership with BENCH, this year’s competition features innovative designs that honor and elevate the Terno with a Panuelo, the Balintawak with the alampay and tapis and the inclusion of the kimona, a loose slip-over blouse with slightly extended sleeves made of embroidered fabric, a casual variation of the iconic Philippine dress.

“Ternocon promises to be a spectacular display of creativity, showcasing the fusion of art, fashion, and Filipino identity. It also underscores the CCP’s role as a steward of Philippine arts which includes fashion and our traditional attire. We are glad that Ternocon remains to be a key calendar event for the creative industries, as it helps promote and sustain our collective identity through clothing,” said CCP president Kaye C. Tinga.

Twelve finalists will be competing for the prestigious awards. The competing fashion designers are Bryan Peralta, Patrick Lazol, Windell Madis, Jared Servano, Peach Garde, Geom Hernandez, Ram Silva, Jema Gamer, Irene Subang, Nina Gatan, Koko Gonzales, and Lexter Badana.

Each finalist created a capsule three-piece collection consisting of a formal Terno with pañuelo, a formal Balintawak with an alampay and tapis, and a formal Kimona (or slip-over blouse) with an alampay and a patadyong (a tube-like wraparound skirt).

Through this year’s theme, Ternocon has become a platform that bridges the gap between fashion, heritage, and visual arts. This year’s collection draws  inspiration from the works of 20th Century Filipino painters, sculptors, and installation artists whose contributions have significantly shaped the landscape of Philippine art.

Under the guidance of chief mentor Inno Sotto, mentors Rhett Eala, Lulu Tan Gan, and Ezra Santos, competing designers drew inspiration from Philippine contemporary art, encompassing the artists’ various movements, perspectives, and principles.

Peralta captures the simple yet powerful strokes of National Artist Jose Joya, while Lazol transforms Joya’s sweeping brushstrokes and vibrant palettes into his capsule.

National Artist Hernando R. (H.R.) Ocampo’s distinct style of blending geometric shapes and vibrant hues influences Madis, while the geometric abstraction of visual artist Nena Saguil shapes Servano’s collection.

Garde channels the architectural ingenuity of National Artist Leandro Locsin into his designs, while Ocampo’s exploration of space and movement also becomes the muse of Hernandez.

Silva channels National Artist Amorsolo’s appreciation for the Filipino countryside and its rich cultural heritage. Gamer, on the other hand, interprets the cubism works of National Artist Vicente Manansala.

National Artist BenCab’s mastery of form, notably present in his iconic muse Sabel, influences Subang’s Terno collection. Gatan draws inspiration from the sculptural works of artist Impy Pilapil, renowned for her mastery in combining organic forms with intricate textures.

Gonzales explores visual artist Onib Olmedo’s artistic inclinations for the complexities of the human form and psyche in his Terno collection. Badana finds his muse in artist Ramon Orlina’s sleek sculptural works in glass and acrylic.

Now in its fourth edition, Ternocon reinforces the CCP’s commitment to supporting and promoting Filipino creativity, while preserving and nurturing Philippine heritage. The fashion program also aims to provide opportunities for emerging and established fashion designers to contribute to the dynamic and evolving cultural dialogues.

“On January 26, we will be holding the fourth edition of Ternocon. This is a project of Bench in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines that started in 2018. In the last seven years, this advocacy has grown from its main thrust of preserving and promoting the Philippine Terno to a national movement to make the Terno a living cultural icon that is not only studied and celebrated but also an integral item of clothing in the life of the Filipinos and a national symbol our history and identity,” said Suyen Corporation’s chairman and CEO, Ben Chan.

The partnership between the CCP and Bench ensures that the Terno, an iconic symbol of Filipino identity and ingenuity, continues to evolve in a modern context while remaining deeply rooted in cultural history and maintaining the right way of Terno-making.

For more information on Ternocon and upcoming CCP events, visit the CCP website (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and follow the CCP’s official social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

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