SoFA grads ‘dare’ in 2025 show
In the cavernous hall of The Fifth at Rockwell, the future of fashion came a-strutting.
For their 2025 graduation show titled “Foregather,” which means to assemble, SoFA Design Institute graduating students came together on Saturday to present their unique perspectives and stories.
“What’s exciting and I would say a bit different about this show, compared to our last grad shows, is that the students really got involved in conceptualizing even the production,” SoFA cofounder Amina Aranaz-Alunan told Lifestyle, explaining how they maximized the use of the LED screens with visuals from motion graphic artist Isaiah Cacnio, commissioned DJ Ean Mayor of UDD for the show, and even added scent diffusers for a complete sensory experience.
“It’s always exciting to see the students’ progress,” she added. “It’s intriguing, surprising—I would even say inspiring to see how they’re able to transform their intangible ideas and find their language through fabric, technique, color, and see it come to life.
“These students have not only mastered the technical skills of fashion design, but they’ve also learned how to tell powerful stories through fabrics, color, shape, and texture.”
There was no one theme that encompassed the collections, with many of their inspirations coming from their journeys of personal growth.
Nine two-year graduates and 11 four-year BA Fashion Design and Marketing profram graduates each presented six looks that, as Aranaz-Alunan pointed out, proved to be “experimental, daring, and nonconformist.” There was a refreshing abundance of androgynous menswear reflecting today’s fashion evolution, like market-ready Veda by Veda Galagnara, Bordelo by Joshua Miguel Baysa, Christine Tiu by Anne Christine Tiu, Neil Mindanao by Neil Angielo Mindanao, and Hanz Nabong.
The young designers displayed their mastery of their chosen medium, with a lot of pieces featuring fabric manipulation, as seen in the works of Dexter Leil Monette Deala (Lei’l Monette), Diana Lei Abanto (Dleia), Selina Tiu, Krystel Ayao, and Nikka Bañaga (Nikka Althea).
Wearable art
Some chose to work with unusual materials like nylon straps (Mindanao), crocheted yarn (Mara Sofia Imperial), scrap leather from Marikina and a hand-carved wooden bib from Paete (P.S. by Jilliane Theresa Louise Santos).
The designs also ranged from edgy (Martyr by Gio Leandro Nogales, Selina Tiu, Nabong) and elegant (Sophia Reganit by Sophia Isabella Reganit, Designed by Belle by Gianne Belle Pabrua) to enchanting (Imperial, Ayao, Kylajin by Kyla Jin Gregorio, Uchi by Rogeline Uchi), and eclectic (Christine Tiu, Abanto, Clymae by Clymae Suarez, O’Dey Dey by Kimberly Rios).
Our personal favorites, however, came from the minds and memories of Mindanao, Nabong, and Madhauz by Catherine Nicole Sta. Ana.
In “The Playroom,” Sta. Ana wrangles her wandering mind and turns its contents into fun, convertible wearable art. Combining innocence with inventiveness, her capsule collection was a revelation—quite literally. Each piece is transformable, with detachable elements allowing for minor and major revamping of each look. One dress and graffitied jacket could be adjusted to different lengths; a top could be worn cropped or with a peplum; a pair of pants with removable pockets could be turned into shorts. A ruched piece could be worn both as a column dress and a skirt, and a vest turned into a tote when needed. Each segment of her zip-around doodle bridal dress can be taken apart and rearranged and restyled, worn with a playful graffiti-style puffer hoodie jacket-slash-trench coat.
Mindanao’s “Ready Set Gal” is a reflection on his favorite childhood plaything—toy cars bought for him by his parents that became his constant companion and source of happiness, even as he began to wonder about Barbie dolls. Taking elements from race cars (like seatbelts, car grilles, license plate, leather seats, steering wheel, key chains, racing patches, and even traffic signs and asphalt roads), his menswear crosses gender boundaries with a cropped buckle vest, strappy bandage miniskirt, pink patent leather trench coat, and a magnificent tiered tulle ballgown skirt paired with a cropped patched race jacket, racing gloves, and a race cap.
Modern Pinay
Nabong’s early morning “moments of introspection” have not been for naught as was evident in “3:00,” where he posits the terno’s place in not just the present but the future. This was also seen in his condensed collection of futurized Filipiniana. The techwear terno pieces take the traditional Philippine dress out of the past and hauls it into the modern world with revolutionary silhouettes, cuts, and details.
Inspired by the pleats from the butterfly sleeves, Nabong created a huge round parka to pair with a column dress. His hooded floor-length cargo terno trench featured pockets on the stiff sleeves, while another look presented a terno jacket with drop-shoulder butterfly sleeves paired with high-waisted pleated shorts. Nabong’s own interpretation of an elevated panuelo crossed with a camisa jacket and worn with pleated skirt over trousers made for a cool look, as did the cropped terno top, corset belt, and puffer mermaid skirt ensemble that oozed futuristic elegance. But one surprise would be the puffy terno jacket, which we must admit to finding quite appealing—both for the purposes of aesthetics and warmth.
