These Three Young Designers Are Shaping Filipino Fashion’s Next Chapter

“It’s giving gay,” Yana Kalaw candidly tells Preview when asked about her “Girls, Girls, Girls” collection for MNL Fashion Week. Through the years, the designer has steadily defined what makes a Yana Kalaw piece, be it the flouncy silhouettes, exposed stitching, or signature fur accouterments. For her debut fashion show, Yana sought to compose a prologue to her “Queer Notes” collection last 2025, exploring more avant-garde designs that still speak to her philosophy of unadulterated femininity.

But this femininity is not one we are typically accustomed to. There’s an intentional exaggeration of shapes which allows for peek-a-boos of skin, yet what’s highlighted is not necessarily the body but the wearer itself. Yana also took her signature color schemes and introduced new saturations and shades, much like a little girl dabbing her brush into different sections of a makeup palette. And speaking of makeup, the beauty direction also leaned into campy motifs, with ultra-extended brows, frosted lips, and layers upon layers of blush. Eyebrows, optional. 

The femininity espoused by Yana’s showcase didn’t ask for approval, especially not from men. Devoid of the male gaze, the fashion was allowed to reach into extremities, attaining a pleasingly grotesque level of girlhood. And that was the point. It was just girls being girls.

And sometimes, girls like other girls. Beauty queen Michelle Dee, who, in recent years, was subject to scrutiny over her sexuality, opened the show in a nude, sheer frock that displayed the word “Tibo” seven times on its facade. Embroideries of “Tibo” and “Lesbyana,” made several appearances on the runway, somewhat a bold reclamation of terms that have hounded sapphics and women-who-love-women. For Yana, it was not just a subtle nod, but rather the very ethos of the showcase and the entirety of her work as a designer. It was a way for her to “embrace femininity in spite of feelings [she’s] had being called ‘tibo.’”

Before she ever got to stage this debut, Yana spent considerable time working for HA.MU, finding mentors and friends in its designers Abraham Guardian and Mamuro Oki. The two, who led a boisterous cheering squad during Yana’s show, couldn’t be more proud of their former co-worker, who has really defined what makes her work, hers. “Nasa kanya na talaga ‘to dati pa. Wild na talaga sya,” Mamu expresses. “Pasabog si Yana!”

Sunset hues heated up Eugene Malabad's solo showcase at Kill Joy Studios. “Kalye Trez Mixtape” offers a more nuanced view on the commuter couture Eugene branded with “Rotonda,” one of the brand’s first collections. “The references are much more personal and fragmented. More than anything, this collection is me trying to explore and stamp the DNA of Kill Joy Studios,” he tells Preview weeks before he arrived at the runway.

The mixtape kicked off on an energetic note, with DJ Horseboyy stomping through with haste and flair. What followed were renewed configurations of Kill Joy classics, including roped fringe looped together to make skirts and asymmetrical tops, and bleach-dyed denim rendered as a trench coat and jumpsuit. Bags—gloriously patterned bags, at that—also showed up in the collection, either clutched in a model’s hand or slung across their torso.

In reinterpreting his ready-to-wear models, Eugene continues the dialogue for a brand that effectively speaks to the sensibilities of Filipinos, who, at the end of the day, have places to be. His muses moved with utmost urgency, as if they were chasing a jeepney or pacing to a godforsaken appointment that they should’ve probably rescheduled. As someone who was well acquainted with the chaos of Metro Manila growing up, the designer aimed to translate these experiences into garments and accessories.

All these scenarios occur under a blazing, unforgiving sun, which is why some of Eugene’s silhouettes called for more sightings of skin than expected. It’s not what you’d immediately think when you say “summer attire,” per se, but it showcases a nuanced perspective on styling done in the urban tropics. Do people actually dress like this when they’re on their arduous commute? Maybe not, but who’s to say they can’t.

The potent aroma of sampaguita signaled a menace was approaching. Church bells rang, and a bride in black emerged at the head of the runway, carrying the crystallized flowers with her. From the onset, Lilah Roché showed herself to be quite the storyteller, with the “Sampaguita Queenpin” as her muse. Lilah spent her younger years watching the likes of Fernando Poe Jr. and Rudy Fernandez kick ass in noir action films, mostly thanks to her parents. As a designer, she interprets these characters as femme fatales who would gradually climb the ranks to become formidable queenpins.

This evolution was captured through frocks that shifted in structure as the show progressed. Touches of red offset the predominantly black selection, which culminated in a devilish ensemble in the finale. Each outfit expounded on some of Lilah’s design codes, including a pair of trousers that featured one of her signature paneling techniques. Corsetry and cut-outs were rampant, displaying the designer’s affinity for highlighting different parts of the female form. It was sexy and didn’t apologize for it.

Veteran stylist and fashion week regular Monika Abad pointed out the show’s McQueen-esque inspirations, adding that the pieces belong on streets from Santa Ana to Shinjuku. Through her latest showing, Lilah has proven her potential in being a master tailor, one whose work is heavily driven by narrative. There are various possibilities as she explores newer silhouettes and fabrications from what she’s already established as her signatures.

As Lilah’s fantasized persona bloomed from sampaguita vendor to Manila’s femme fatale, Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro” blasted on the speakers, setting forth a melancholic, telenovela-esque energy. By the end of the show, it was clear that this woman does not want to kiss, nor does she want to touch. She’s not your babe, not your babe.