Bitagcol beyond fashion
Jo Ann Bitagcol has been “super busy and grateful.”
With the recent opening of her pop-up store in Power Plant Mall in Rockwell less than half a year since she opened her atelier in Poblacion, Makati City, it can only be surmised that the model-slash-photographer has been thriving as designer-slash-entrepreneur.
For the holiday season, Bitagcol introduces her home collection at the second-floor kiosk of the Makati mall, which runs until January.
While she still “walks for friends and shoots for good clients”—she just modeled at the Red Charity Gala that featured designs by Lulu Tan-Gan last October, in fact—Bitagcol has been buried in her own projects as well.
The iconic muse forges ahead on her journey as creator as she ventures from fashion to homeware, lending her laid-back flair to the dinner table with place mats (a collaboration with hand-woven bags and home accessories brand S.C. Vizcarra), oversized coasters, and wooden serving trays featuring her signature prints of terno, baro, and colorful pastillas.
The popup also serves as a reintroduction of her works to those still unfamiliar with her eponymous brand and creations.
“The work I do with Bitagcol is rooted in the desire to celebrate and honor our culture,” she said in a statement. “Since this would be the first popup, I wanted to share with our new audience the prints and bestsellers that put our brand on the map. The space is for those who have not yet been to the showroom or individuals who have not yet experienced the brand.”
Evolving, expanding
Inspired by requests from clients, the visual artist continues to evolve in her craft and expand her horizons, exploring creative new mediums for her art.
“It was very inspiring to hear that patrons of the brand want our heritage to be present everywhere—a part of an entire lifestyle,” she added. “This is a new venture that inspired me to think of a refresh. To look back, but move forward.”
Bitagcol’s sophisticated eye that captures the sheerness of the barong, the glint of the payneta, and the minuscule details of other heirloom objects in minimalist images enriches any space not only with beauty but also meaning and legacy.
“We are grateful for the support and this has inspired us to expand and diversify more,” she told Lifestyle.
The designer has broadened her collection to include tunic-type long dresses and pieces using lace, along with three new baro prints on oversized scarves that can be worn or framed as artworks. She has also released a series of notecards that bear her spellbinding snapshots documenting Philippine history and heritage through bits and pieces of life from back in the day.
“We’ve created few home pieces for now; exciting collaborations will be next,” Bitagcol shared during a brief chat.
“If time permits, I plan to do a gallery show next year using my dolls—another series of ‘tripolar’ dolls,” she added, referring to healing stuffed figures that tap into a higher self that is separate from and above an individual’s polar extremes. While similar to voodoo dolls, Bitagcol’s tripolar dolls (which she first exhibited back in 2015) promote healing instead of causing harm.
