Inclusivity reshapes the runway
For one, “Body of Work” and its pacing was handled by female artistic director Gypsy Snider, her second time at the helm.
In past iterations of the biennial event, the team calling the shots consisted mainly of males who handled the directing, styling, and hair and makeup duties.
Creative consultant Noel Manapat recalled watching the musical “Pippin” on Broadway in 2014 and being blown away by the fresh approach of the production that incorporated acrobats. When they found out that Snider, a former acrobat and choreographer, was responsible for it, they reached out to her, which eventually led to her directing “Under the Stars: The Bench 30th Anniversary Show” in 2017.
Acrobats featured in that first show she directed, but one could also see that other changes were afoot such as the inclusion of a few trans models in the lineup.
This time, for “Body of Work,” trans models and drag queens were given the chance to shine in a separate section where they swanned down the runway in black bikinis, with matching black fringed Manila shawls draped around their shoulders.
While most of the models were either tall and slim or stacked and sinewy, there were a few who were shorter or had visible paunches and larger arms. The Bench runway that used to showcase the genetically blessed and pulchritudinous had become more inclusive and democratic.
Legacy
Was this a reaction to the backlash hurled at lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret and its old-fashioned runway shows?
“It didn’t even cross our minds,” Manapat told Lifestyle. “We don’t even think of them when we’re conceptualizing our shows.”
Ben Chan, the founder and CEO of Suyen Corp., has gone on to launch other projects including the terno design competition TernoCon in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the Bench Design Awards that gives young and promising local designers the opportunity to present their capsule collections at Tokyo Fashion Week.
“We began planning early last year,” Chan told Lifestyle in an email interview after the show. “It took us time to think, ask people, and then rethink if an underwear show of this scale is something we can bring back or leave as a legacy from pre-pandemic times.”
Staging an event like this takes a lot of time, money, and preparation. While the brand’s endorsers are expected to strut their stuff in front of the thousands at the arena and the countless online viewers as the show was streamed live, a series of go-sees for potential models still had to be held months prior to meet the requirement. Gauging by the dozens of models that spilled onto the runway last Friday, they most certainly met the quota.
New generation
“We received a lot of interest from viewers, models, and celebrities to bring it back and thought that maybe there’s a new generation of artists and audience who haven’t experienced it yet. After eight years, we are back and here we are,” Chan said.
The 90-minute show started promptly at 8 p.m. and did not waste any time sending the brand’s Benchsetters—brand ambassadors—out one after the other. Alden Richards, wearing denim overalls and a tank top, teased the crowd before ripping off his top. This was followed in quick succession by Ina Raymundo in a white bikini, Jake Cuenca on a motorcycle, and Sunshine Cruz in red lingerie who blew two kisses at boyfriend Atong Ang who was seated front row and center. And this was just the first part of the show.
In between sets, foreign acrobats from The 7 Fingers regaled the audience with their impressive talents.
As the 40th anniversary of Bench draws near—Chan started it off as a small store selling casual tees in 1987—the question is how he and his team intend to mark and celebrate the milestone event. He said there are no plans yet as they are still working on other projects related to “Body of Work,” like a documentary, and preparing for the Bench Design Awards scheduled in April.
“A project such as ‘Body of Work’ takes a lot of time and resources to put together. It’s the sum of many, many parts. If it takes a village to mount one of our Bench Fashion Week shows, this ‘Body of Work’ took several villages—and probably the nearby town to create. We can’t imagine right now an even bigger event.”
