A night of bridal fantasies
The recent bridal fair hosted by the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino reflected the thriving bridal industry in the city. The event, highlighted by a fashion show coproduced by the hotel and influential designer Cary Santiago, attracted numerous bookings for venues and appointments with participating suppliers.
Santiago, often hailed as the “fashion deacon of the Visayas,” expressed his commitment to promoting up-and-coming designers through his six-year involvement in the bridal show. As coproducer, he secured benefactors such as Jennifer Que Viloria of Diagold Jewelry, Bench, arts patroness Bea Zobel Jr. and entrepreneur Mariquita Yeung, drawing a distinguished crowd from Cebu and Manila.
The participating designers shared a common bond, initially forged through their experiences as Middle East alumni. Santiago worked as a creative director for a fashion brand in Dubai at the turn of the millennium before relocating to Lebanon. His stay was cut short by the ongoing conflict with Israel. Valentino “Val” Taguba, a student of National Artist Salvacion Lim Higgins, went to Saudi Arabia in 1983 and served affluent clients in Dubai. Albert Andrada, an alumnus of Slim’s Fashion and Arts School, spent 30 years in the Middle East, including 10 years serving the Royal Family of Dubai. Leo Almodal, a Manila-based Cebuano, designed Muslim attire in Bahrain and worked as a ghost designer for brands in Dubai.
Several designers also cultivated their fashion aesthetic within their families. Santiago learned sewing techniques from his mother, a seamstress. Cebuano designer Mike Yapching learned from his grandmother and further honed his skills at the University of San Carlos. Rian Fernandez’s uncle was RTW pioneer Rusty Lopez, while an aunt designed clothes in Saudi Arabia. Almodal’s parents were involved in tailoring and dressmaking, and since college, he has designed for parade muses, drum and bugle corps and weddings.
The bridal collections exhibited the exceptional craftsmanship of local artisans. A range of romantic and structured silhouettes, adorned with intricate textures and embellishments, dominated the runway. Architectural lines and opulent details, such as elaborate embroidery and beadwork, created a dramatic and sophisticated aesthetic.
Leo Almodal
Having worked for Italian and French companies in the Mactan Economic Zone Authority and designed jewelry in Bahrain, Almodal was exposed to global quality standards and Swarovski crystals. These elements were incorporated into his bridal gowns, which weighed between 10 and 25 kilograms. The emerald green Swarovski gown, in particular, captivated the audience with its nontraditional color. Many of Almodal’s clients were foreigners who appreciated his custom-fit technique, eliminating the need for fittings. As he said, “My clients say the gown moves with the body. You can even do backflips in them.”
Mike Yapching
The Cebuano’s collection drew inspiration from the province’s beaches, using champagne to evoke sand, flowing dresses to represent the wind, and ruching to suggest waves. Standout pieces included a fitted champagne gown with pearls crisscrossing the bodice like sea foam, and a sand-colored gown featuring circular and oval beadwork patterns reminiscent of light hitting the waves. Yapching is known for his ability to make brides feel curvy and confident on their wedding day.
Albert Andrada
Following his successful presentation at the Westin Vendome during Paris Fashion Week 2023, Andrada had the confidence to break tradition by introducing denim for bridal wear. He emphasized the lightweight nature of denim, which provided a perfect backdrop for delicate touches of glass beads and crystals. Andrada also created romantic clouds of ruching and ruffles using liquid taffeta, a fabric with a more extraordinary iridescence than traditional options. He expressed his preference for a cleaner aesthetic, stating, “I’m done with glitter, and I don’t want my clothes to be too shiny.”
Val Taguba
The Zamboangueño designer favored classic silhouettes such as cinched waists, ballgowns, sinuous columns and mermaid gowns. These silhouettes served as a canvas for showcasing intricate beadwork on mosaic and Art Nouveau patterns. Brides would need to be in shape to pull off the peek-a-boo midriffs and trompe l’oeil designs on the torso. Taguba’s designs had the power to transport wearers to another time.
Jo Rubio
If his idol, Joe Salazar, were alive today, he would have found an heir apparent in Rubio, who is gaining a reputation for his craftsmanship and attention to proportion. Although he studied fashion at the LaSalle College International, the designer also learned from the gowns made by Salazar, Aureo Alonzo and Pitoy Moreno, which were brought to his shop by his clients, the wives of Bulakeño politicians. If you want something aesthetically pleasing and comfortable, he’s the man.
The collection presented a balance of restraint and drama. Rubio drew attention to electric pleats, fluted necklines, exaggerated peplums, delicate tulle and rosettes to accentuate the slinky gown. A noteworthy design was the groom’s black barong featuring Art Deco chain embroidery, leaves and geometric lines.
Ehrran Montoya
Montoya acknowledged his mentor Francis Libiran. His collection, “Secret Garden,” emphasized fabric manipulation to create unusual forms, favoring off-white and subtle beige tones that appeared pure white under wedding lights. Actress Kylie Padilla, channeling her character Amihan from the TV series “Encantandia,” wore an off-shoulder Mikado silk gown with upturned and pointed flaps reminiscent of wind and wings.
Axel Que
This Cebuano designer, who studied at the Fashion Institute of the Philippines and worked under Valerie Alvarez and Puey Quinoñes, was inspired by “Mommy Cary” (Santiago). His avant-garde collection referenced the historical silhouettes of Alexander McQueen, the multilayered and sculptural shapes of Iris Van Herpen, and the couture fantasies of Guo Pei. One model’s exaggerated hoop skirt was reminiscent of Pei’s Gold Boat design. Que’s designs featured individual cutouts and hand stitching to create textures on architectural silhouettes. As he said, “It’s another version of the bride who is avant-garde.” A shocking element was the groom’s black neoprene cropped jacket with intricate cutwork, reminiscent of butterfly wings, paired with an electric-pleated, layered skirt.
Rian Fernandez
Known for his flamboyant aesthetics, Fernandez has become the go-to designer for beauty queens such as Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel, reigning Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios and Thailand’s Suchata Suangsri. His collection “Winds of Time” showed classic silhouettes with extravagant beadwork and embroidery, as well as unusual headdresses and a spiky neckpiece. The designs were structured, such as a gold, fully-beaded corset top with an arched peplum paired with a pencil skirt with dangling beadwork, or form-fitting, such as the white strapless gowns with sun ray patterns or gobs of beads, or an exaggerated trumpet gown with a bustier top featuring spikes on the bra cups. For grooms who appreciated beadwork, Fernandez offered a beige Nehru jacket with ornate matte beadwork.
