Fashion museum names main hall after Josie Padilla Rufino
The Benilde Fashion Museum (BFM), which focuses on the collection, exhibition, and study of Philippine fashion from the 20th to the 21st century, will serve as a repository of works of some of the most notable designers in Philippine history: Philippine National Artists Ramon Valera and Salvacion Lim-Higgins, plus Ben Farrales, Pitoy Moreno, and Aureo Alonzo, to name a few.
The pioneering creations are set to find a home at the historic Miguel Febres Cordero Building. Designed by architect Fernando Ocampo and constructed in 1938 by the former Vice President Fernando Lopez as The Mayflower, the four-and-a-half-story edifice, formerly known as the Instituto Cervantes Building, now stands as one of the few remaining examples of pre-war Art Deco architecture in Manila.
In this new endeavor, the 1,500-square meter space will be transformed to house advanced galleries, libraries, conservation facilities, and storage systems, as well as rooms for lectures, presentations, symposia, and screenings.
Through the substantial gift of philanthropist and business magnate Ernest Rufino, the museum’s main exhibition area will be named after his wife, with the name Josie Padilla Rufino Gallery.
The support was formalized through an official turnover and signing of the memorandum of understanding held at Vatel Manila Restaurant. It was led by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde president Br. Edmundo Fernandez FSC and Chancellor Benhur Ong, together with Ernest and Josie Rufino.
Ernie Rufino, Lin-ay Rufino, Joysie Rufino, Victor Rufino, and Lui Rufino also attended the event.
In his speech, Ernest shared how he, over the years, watched and remained fascinated with the development of the institution. “I am always amazed at the activity, enthusiasm, vitality, and dedication I can feel every time I am at Benilde,” he stated. “The pulse is palpable! It engenders a feeling of wanting to get involved somehow, anyhow, as some like to say, in an adventurous undertaking … Our presence shows our desire to assist in the dramatic development of Benilde’s cultural and scientific contributions to society,” he added.
During the cocktail reception, Benilde Multimedia Arts student and BFM intern Angel Nhele presented a token of appreciation for the donors—a digital artwork inspired by a cover photo of Josie Rufino on the November 1963 issue of Asia Magazine, in which she wore a traje de mestiza designed by Moreno.
