More than 270 looks took to the runway at the 10th anniversary presentation of “Sinulid,” the annual culminating show of the Fashion Design and Merchandising program of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s School of Environment and Design.
Held at the PNB Financial Center in Pasay City, this year’s edition carried the theme “Awanggan,” an archaic Tagalog term derived from the words “awan” (zero) and “hanggan” (limit), meaning limitless.
Traditionally associated with science and mathematics, the term was reframed by the graduating class as a design proposition, examining how fashion can imagine alternate futures without constraint.
The showcase also marked the 30th anniversary of the Benilde Fashion Design and Merchandising program. A total of 91 graduating designers presented their debut collections, transforming the runway into a survey of varied design approaches shaped by years of training in both creative practice and business strategy.
Across the collections, students interrogated their relationship with the body as subject and medium, and how it occupies or redefines space, time and identity. The presentation unfolded in three acts — “Takipsilim,” “Hating Gabi” and “Bukang Liwayway” — moving from ready-to-wear to contemporary and avant-garde ensembles.
Organizers described the show as a retrospective of distinct creative processes and design directions developed by the graduating class. Each collection reflected individual research interests and aesthetic positions, while collectively pointing to how emerging designers situate themselves within a changing fashion landscape.
The program concluded with special citations for selected graduates: Aniann Maurel Bonotano (“Yahay”), Mabyn Faith de Vera (“4Three”), Rainer Joshua Dysanco (“Race Reverie”), Amanda Antonette Garcia (“Hypervision”), Ashanti Nicole Medes (“LRTW”), Jillian Ngo (“The Armor Paradox”) and Mishika Sasakura (“Class Dismissed”).
Additional recognitions were awarded to soon-to-graduate students: Monica Francesca Cortes received the Design Concept Award for “Mangan Ta”; Leainn Shagami Felizco earned the Surface Design Award for “Walang Tamad sa Quezon”; Kirsten Camille Bianzon was given the Digital Portfolio Award for “I Have Been Here Before”; Pancho Tinsay received the Brand Concept Award for “Soundscapes”; and John Simon Co was named Emerging Creative Talent for “The Treaty.”
More than 90 looks from the debut collections are featured in a digital exhibition accessible through the Benilde website.
