The designer’s latest collection took inspiration from Korean pop music culture – specifically from the girl group TWICE’s song entitled “Feel Special”. The latter touched the designer’s heart leading him to dig deeper into it and have a broader understanding of the meaning.

 

“Everything’s alright, from nobody to somebody, I turn into someone special…

you make me feel special.” 

- TWICE

 

As a K-pop fan and a music enthusiast, the designer was enlightened by the straightforwardness of the song’s lyrics – making someone feel special – making him reflect on what makes him feel like so and how he can englobe it into a fashion collection.

 

Upon pondering the question, he concluded with three reasons that hold a special place in his heart and make him feel this way:

 

First, on the list are his family and friends. His loved ones are Filipinos. They remind him of his roots and identity as a Filipino born and raised in Hong Kong. In particular, his nationality makes him unique and stand out as an individual and a designer due to the duality of his nature: his exposure to Hong Kong’s international environment mixed with his “pinoy” roots and culture. This allows the designer to make this his main reference point, a way of cultural representation. This reason enables the designer to reference the Filipino Culture as a representation of his family and friends as a key visual inspiration.

 

Secondly, today’s women make the designer feel special. He grew up with the influence of strong and tenacious women, particularly his Mama Helen (grandmother), Mommy Natalie (mother), Auntie Julita, and feminist musicians like Lady Gaga & Beyoncé. According to the designer, women, and especially their loved ones, are just like flowers. They go through different circumstances – natural disasters, pollution, weather, etc., all portraying problems and obstacles – yet they grow, strive, and bloom no matter what. Today's issues like lack of women’s rights, job opportunities, healthcare, etc. are prominent examples that women fight today. These women in his life molded him to be the man he is today – to be a fighter and to continue blooming in his life. This fashion collection is a love letter and celebration of their lives. This reason is visually represented through flowers and the use of a women’s wear line.

 

Lastly, painting makes the designer feel special because for him, symbolically, each painting is unique and different from other paintings. He sees life as if it was a painting created by God, with a unique style, color palette, different techniques, and a personal story. Therefore, completely diverse from other paintings, or other people’s lives. In regards to the idea of feminism, the designer was reminded of the work of feminist artist Georgia O’Keeffe. She is a painter of sensuality and power. Her usage of flowers, portrayed as a Vagina if looked closer, promotes the idea of raising awareness of womanhood and freedom to her audience. He believes her work is much needed to reference and amplify the message. This reason is another vital visual inspiration for the fashion collection to reference paintings of the feminist American artist Georgia O’Keeffe.

 

These 3 key elements are the fashion collections’ main inspiration. It is a story represented through a women’s wear collection, inspired by:

- Filipino culture

- Womanhood

- Painting

 

Through them, the story of today’s women unfolds, a story of representation, belonging, and empowerment.