Preview’s BFFD 2026 Honorees Take on Deconstructed Fashion for Vice Ganda
The five Best Filipino Fashion Designers of 2026 received their honors at the Preview Ball, following a showcase of their custom creations.
by Em Enriquez
Published on Sep 11, 2026
Now in its fourth consecutive edition, the Preview Best Filipino Fashion Designers grant recognizes five visionaries who continue to reshape the identity of Filipino fashion. At the Preview Ball 2026, held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom at Newport World Resorts, Rajo Laurel, Nicolo Perez, Vania Romoff, Jerome Lorico, and Viña Romero were formally honored as this year’s awardees.
Preview Awards the Best Filipino Fashion Designers of 2026
With its inaugural batch recognized in 2023, the Preview Best Filipino Fashion Designers (BFFD) grant honors industry luminaries who may work across different aesthetics and techniques but share the same commitment to excellence. Each honoree receives a P100,000 grant in support of their craft and creative practice. As part of the annual BFFD showcase, the designers also create custom looks for Preview’s September cover star.
For 2026, Preview recognized designers whose practices reflect the many layers of thought, craft, and storytelling behind every garment. Rajo Laurel, Nicolo Perez, Vania Romoff, Jerome Lorico, and Viña Romero each approach fashion through a distinct lens, but share an understanding that what we wear can carry meaning, emotion, and stories worth telling.
At the Preview Ball 2026, five designers took the spotlight as they presented their bespoke creations in a fashion show. Worn by models from the Professional Models Association of the Philippines (PMAP), each look offered a distinct interpretation of deconstructed fashion. Preview Managing Editor Reg Rodriguez and Summit Media General Manager Christine Sandejas then presented each awardee with their trophy.
BFFD Awardees on the Inspiration Behind Vice Ganda's Custom Looks for Her Preview September 2026 Cover
For 2026, Preview chose award-winning host, comedian, and actor Vice Ganda as its September cover star. Fronting the cover of Preview Volume II print edition, Vice wore custom creations by each of the five BFFD honorees, photographed through BJ Pascual’s lens.
Ahead, the designers discuss the thought processes and techniques behind their respective creations.
Rajo Laurel envisioned Vice as a deity, employing a weaving technique he learned from artisan Narda Capuyan. Drawing inspiration from practices used in Baguio and Benguet, the dress intertwined yards of pastel-hued textiles to create a distinctive fringe effect.
The literal “ties that bind” resulted in a dynamic gown and headpiece that paid homage to local craft and heritage while reflecting Rajo’s own design philosophy. “It [aligns] with my philosophy of using disparate elements, [of using] soft and hard elements, and using movement and structure,” he explains.
Nicolo Perez drew inspiration from Brutalist architecture for his design for Vice. Unmistakably a Nicolo creation with its use of dark blue denim and sheer fabric, the two-piece ensemble played with contradictions, imagining “heavy, solid forms that almost look like they’re suspended.”
Deconstruction was deliberate and central to the entire look. “It felt very natural to the way I design because I’m always interested in finding ways to make something visually interesting without losing the logic behind how it is constructed,” the designer says.
Deconstruction is something Vania Romoff has explored from time to time in her work. For Vice, she approached the assignment by reinterpreting her romantic and feminine design codes through a more “powerful” lens—one she felt suited the comedian’s personality. The result was a textured piña top and sleek trousers, accented by a voluminous draped skirt that evoked the form of a traditional tapis.
“Deconstruction is not possible without understanding the process of creation,” Jerome Lorico muses. Tasked with dressing Vice, the designer sought to reveal the multitude of layers embedded in every garment. Using his signature “surface draping” technique, he pulled and knitted strips of fabric into a sculptural gown and bolero—a look that ultimately made its way onto the cover.
In Jerome’s eyes, Vice was a fitting muse for a vision of beauty that goes beyond appearances. “Vice is a cultural mover who broke barriers,” he states. “This is the same energy that I try to embody in my works... to come up with things that are not just aesthetically beautiful but also meaningful and important.”
Viña Romero meditated on the beauty of imperfection for her look, which she titled “Lukot.” Inspired by ideas that have yet to fully manifest but first take shape on pieces of paper, the ensemble was tactile and intentionally left undone in places.
“You can see the folds, raw edges, and loose threads, almost like looking at a piece of paper that has been repeatedly folded, crumpled, and then unfolded again,” the designer illustrates. “We wanted to preserve that sense of process instead of hiding it... The garment feels like something continuously being unfolded and reshaped.”
The Preview Ball 2026 is co-presented by Birch Tree Adult Boost and Dove, in partnership with IQOS*, GCash, and Belo Medical Group, with Event Sponsors Stanley, HONOR Magic V6, and Penshoppe, Giveaway Sponsor Colgate, and venue partner Marriott Manila Hotel at Newport World Resorts.
Em is queer and probably daydreaming somewhere. They're Preview's associate entertainment editor who's often spotted in cowboy boots and lemon-tinted sunnies.