Bench Fashion Week’s comeback after two years was astounding.
Sustainability, femininity, and the energy of the youth was all the rage as Bench Fashion Week returned to the runway. The Filipino retail giant has always been known for fostering emerging talent, mentoring, and sending rising designers to different fashion events around the world, with the last being Rakuten Fashion Week in Japan.
It must be Bench’s comeback season, because their lineup of designers this year was a riveting mix of young and OG designers, retail brands and a handful of collaborators. Relive Bench Fashion Week 2022 below and see what trends dominated the runway.
READ MORE: Meet The 6 Emerging Ilonggo Designers Challenging Fashion’s Norms With Sustainability
NEW WAVE OF STREETWEAR
If you think the local streetwear scene’s all about hoodies and cargo pants, think again. It’s no linear plane considering how these designers presented collections that showed the many layers of street culture.
StrongVillage by Russell Villafuerte proved its DNA lies in sustainability and genderless clothing, of masterful tailoring and patchwork that worked altogether. ANTONINA’s eight-piece collection called ANINO must be the designer’s final form as she delves into shadow play, with the pieces all in black yet the small details like peeping holes, cutouts, exaggerated sleeves and hints of silver hardware made it more interesting.
BEST IN CLASS
At Human by Jenni Contreras, we saw runway looks that resembled characters from Wes Anderson’s world styled in preppy, boarding school-inspired ensembles with the basic tee as its central piece. It’s about time we bring back the gym class look with lots of varsity tees, head bands, and cool specs. Cotton On’s new collection looked like a crossover of the whole cast of Euphoria and Clueless, but set in the modern times with chokers and cropped tees worn by male models, lots of butterfly clips, and angel wings. At Urban Revivo, we saw the French girl uniform in pastels, necktie and mini skirt pairings, and hints of grunge.
ULTRA FEMME
Martin Bautista’s collection was a celebration of femininity in all forms. Whether you’re the hubadera type who loves wearing nothing but a net top and mini skirt, that one ✨extra✨ friend who’s into all things glittery or the conservative girl who prefers pleated midi dresses, it was a dreamy array of ultra femme, goddess-like looks for every woman. At Kashieca x Lucy Torres, we saw the quintessential classy girl in ruffles, tulle scarves, and poplin tops. She kept it sleek and chic with signature looks like button down dresses and all-white ’fits that screamed elegance. Then for the finale, Lesley Mobo hosted a fiesta with higantes wearing floral Ternos and vibrant Filipinianas, making us forget that it was actually a runway show. The ingenuinity of the Masaganang Bukid collection celebrated the rich culture of the countryside and beauty of our traditional wear.
At long last, we could finally feel the joy of dressing up again after a long period of being stuck in a limbo. But most of all, Bench proves that they can walk the talk by continuously giving the platform to designers, both the OGs and the new kids on the block. And just like that, Bench Fashion Week 2022 showed yet again that their staples and classics are anything but basic and is above everything, fun.
READ MORE: 5 Filipino Designers Using The Most Unconventional Materials In Their Garments
