Filipino Artist Olan Ventura's Painting Was Reportedly the Inspiration for This Givenchy Piece
In an exclusive with Preview, the contemporary artist shares his thoughts about his work's resemblance to the dress that appeared on Givenchy's Fall 2026 runway.
by Kyla Villena
Published on Mar 10, 2026
For the Fall/Winter 2026 presentation of Givenchy at the Paris Fashion Week, Sarah Burton interpreted the strengths found in a woman’s softness. “How can we put ourselves back together in the world we’re living in” is the thought that guided her construction, allowing her response to flow with creativity and intuition.
The collection was informed by painterly themes and sculptural forms, and one of the sartorial crowd’s favorites was Look 46, a black evening dress adorned by vibrant flowers that shredded into fringes.
Worn by supermodel Mona Tougaard, the piece serves as evidence that fashion is art. Givenchy has not confirmed the inspiration behind its design, but fashion enthusiasts online can't help but recognize the possibility that it might have been inspired by a painting—one made by a Filipino artist named Rolando “Olan” Ventura.
Preview chats with Olan to know more.
Olan Ventura on Fashion and Inspiration
As the word got around, Olan was among the people who were pleasantly surprised to discover the news. “I felt positive about it,” he said, “seeing a Filipino artwork reach another level and serve as an inspiration to other artists, especially in a different industry.”
The much-discussed painting was actually created in 2019. It measures 113.5cm x 80.5cm, and acrylic on canvas was Olan’s medium of choice. Titled “Still Life with Parrot Tulips, Poppies, Roses and Snowball,” the painting was a result of his experimentation with his approach to traditional still life, recasting the visual work as an “image of an image.”
This shift permits him to portray how “things are in flux and in motion; printing errors alter the captured images, and colors and shadows run amok within my frenzied vision.”
As a contemporary artist, Olan draws inspiration for daily observations—from moments and memories to images and emotions. His curiosity leads him to viewing a particular sight from different angles, as a way to explore where an error might occur—and how this same error can be transformed into a stunning aspect worth highlighting.
He tells Preview, “Breaking what is conventionally seen as beautiful and discovering the beauty within its errors and imperfections becomes a unique way to interpret and envision the possibilities within the creative process.”
With this, having his artwork seemingly utilized as an inspiration “opened a new perspective” for him, especially after seeing it translated into “a new medium through which I could see my work come more alive than ever.”
Olan, who has been an artist for more than two decades now, acknowledged that having his work blossom into “something interactive and more tangible” allowed it to communicate with a new audience hailing from a different industry, creating space for the artful worlds of fashion and painting to exist in a dialogue.
Kyla Villena loves a good lip gloss and a trip to the art gallery. She is Preview's beauty girl, who doubles as a self-proclaimed motivational speaker.