Crafting the Filipino story, ‘one stitch at a time’
Gabby Garcia was on his way to becoming a doctor—taking up life sciences, a premed course, at the Ateneo de Manila University—when the pandemic hit and changed the course of his career.
During the difficult period, his thoughts were with the artisan communities that were getting little support. The sophomore student, who grew up with a mother who collects local textiles and a grandmother who founded a Philippine folk dance group, wished to help keep local craftsmanship afloat. He made good use of the free time he gained from staying home and attending classes remotely, and established his clothing brand, Tagpi.
While the now 24-year-old has never done a runway show in the Philippines, Garcia has already done three shows abroad in just over four years. Two years ago, he did a capsule collection alongside Wilson Limon’s Niñofranco in Vienna upon the invitation of the Philippine Embassy there, followed by another capsule collection with Filipinxt during last year’s New York Fashion Week (NYFW).
However, this most recent one held last month marked his formal NYFW debut, as it was the first time the Filipinxt show has been officially recognized in the NYFW calendar.
Tagpi, which means “to patch together,” connects various artisanal communities from all over the country through Filipino wear that he envisions for young people like him.
For his latest NYFW show, Garcia created a 15-piece fall/winter collection titled “Tahak” that took woven fabric from Abra and embellished it with banana fiber beads from Pagadian City; adorned knitwear by Baguio crafters with what has become his signature, mother-of-pearl beads from Cebu; created a voluminous sweater out of densely stitched-together oversized pompoms inspired by the tangkulo scarf of the Bagobo tribe; and paired an asymmetrical plaid shirt with a disproportionately large necktie crocheted in La Union.
Keeping traditions alive
“I get a lot of questions asking why my brand isn’t my name, but I always tell them that Tagpi isn’t about me. It’s about the Philippine artisans who do these,” he told Lifestyle. “Tagpi isn’t just a brand that sells clothes but a brand that tells the stories of the Filipino, one stitch at a time.”
“The Philippines is a third world country, and I feel like our cultures, our craftsmanship are what make us rich. So I feel it’s just necessary to keep these traditions alive,” he added.
Meaning “to travel or journey,” “Tahak” reflects Garcia’s own exploration in terms of “new techniques, new elements, new artisans to work with.” His edgy yet preppy style crosses the vastly different worlds and characters of the warm Philippine tropics and the cool New York cityscape.
Admitting that the collection posed a bit of a challenge, coming from a mostly tropical staples brand, Garcia incorporated tropical elements in garments made for the city. Taking inspiration from the Philippine seas to create a palette of mostly blues and whites, he created pieces like a boxy trench coat covered in mother-of-pearl beads arranged to mimic the city skyline at night, a belted tunic with leather scraps woven into the fabric, and a thick top covered in shells and straps.
“I really want to focus on traditional Filipino craftsmanship, but make it contemporary to keep up with the times,” he said of Tagpi, calling his passion project “a nice medium to contribute in my own little way.”
To do this, he does a lot research and development, attending national trade fairs to discover new artisans. Early on, he also joined forums by Habi: The Philippine Textile Council to keep abreast of Philippine artistry.
“If we keep supporting Filipino wear, we contribute to keeping our culture and craftsmanship alive, because if we just neglect this, who will we be as a country? This is our cultural thumbprint.”
Wearing something that’s uniquely Filipino, he added, will never be out of style. “Filipino fashion is forever, it’s not a trend. I’d say it’s a way of life.”
