Meet the designers representing the country at FASHIONPhilippines in Milan 2026

by September Grace Mahino

With Milan having great potential as a strategic gateway for Filipino designers seeking global recognition, 14 Filipino creatives are making their bid to leverage what the fashion capital offers. As part of the second FASHIONPhilippines in Milan, an initiative of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions, they will go through a comprehensive business development program under the tutelage of Filipino and international fashion experts and create collections that will be showcased in Milan in September, in time for Milan Fashion Week 2026. 

FASHIONPhilippines in Milan 2026 is co-presented by the Department of Science and Technology–Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) and the Philippine Consulate General in Milan, in collaboration with the Philippine Fashion Coalition (PFC), LIT Consultancy, and Fondazione Sozzani. 

The following 14 designers are a mix of FASHIONPhilippines in Milan returnees and newcomers, each at a different stage in their fashion careers and eager to learn how to better showcase what the Philippine fashion industry can offer to the world.  

The returnees

 

Adam Pereyra

After the positive reception his eponymous jewelry brand received from the likes of Sara Maino and Niccolò Pasqualetti at the Philippines’ first solo fashion exhibit at Milan Fashion Week 2025, Adam Pereyra is joining FASHIONPhilippines in Milan once again to further build on the knowledge he earned last year. In the three years since establishing his label, where he collaborates closely with the Arcilla artisans, he has become known for producing fine pieces that feature details reflective of the Filipino heritage. Pereyra’s jewelry celebrates not just the manual labor and expertise that went into each finished product, but also the precious metals used that took centuries to develop beneath the earth’s crust, as well as the ancient artifacts, stories, and techniques that inspired their forms, treasured and passed down through generations. 

 

Joseph Bagasao for BAGASÁO

BAGASÁO by Joseph Bagasao is another FASHIONPhilippines in Milan 2025 success story, as it is the first Filipino brand to secure representation by the European showroom Tora Tora. On top of the designer’s masterful integration of structure with fluidity in his ready-to-wear garments, he adds subtle details and uses architectural silhouettes that speak of Filipino heritage. Bagasao also works with Filipino artisans, ensuring the authenticity of the cultural influences in his pieces.

 

Tessa Nepomuceno for Calli

Winning the Katha Best Product Design the first time her brand Calli joined Manila FAME in 2014 was proof that Tessa Nepomuceno was offering something fresh and different to the market. Twelve years later, Calli remains a distinct luxury brand, this time poised to make a bigger mark in the international fashion scene. Nepomuceno’s elegantly hand-carved wooden handbags have found fans among fashionistas who appreciate the opulence of slow and intentional fashion, and with a favorable outlook on its potential appeal to international markets in last year’s FASHIONPhilippines in Milan program, the designer is set to win over even more admirers.

 

Christian Dalogaog for Ched Studio

Christian Dalogaog’s penchant for artisanal techniques applied to hand-woven, vintage, and sustainably sourced fabrics may seem antithetical to the commercial demands of the fashion market, but as the international coverage on Ched Studio has proven through the years, his perspective on contemporary Filipino style deserves a bigger platform. This makes his second participation in FASHIONPhilippines in Milan one to watch, as Dalogaog further strengthens his label with the global market know-how he’ll learn from mentors and apply to Ched Studio’s distinct branding. 

 

Steffi Cua for Idyllic Summer 

In the 5 years since Steffi Cua established Idyllic Summers, she has become even more experimental in her approach to fashion. Rather than kowtowing to the production norms of the commercial fashion cycle, she continues to prioritize maintaining the integrity of handcrafted textiles and letting their inherent beauty shine through. As a returning designer to the FASHIONPhilippines in Milan program, Cua looks to preserve the principles upon which she built her brand while fortifying and streamlining its design, production, and distribution systems. 

 

 

Renz Reyes

Renz Reyes is another designer who bucks the trend of going with what is merely commercially appealing. He applies his mastery of creating tailored silhouettes and applying artisanal embellishments in service of cohesive storytelling, all the while remaining mindful of practical considerations, such as production efficiency and costs. Drawing from his background in graphic design, advertising, and retail fashion, Reyes presents a more nuanced take on fashion luxury, where conceptual designs are made wearable and utilitarian.

 

Gabby Garcia for Tagpi

The lack of a background in fashion didn’t stop Gabby Garcia from founding Tagpi. Instead, he bolstered his recently developed interest in fashion design with the knowledge of Filipino culture and craftsmanship he had picked up through osmosis via his mother, a textile collector, and his grandmother, a folk dancer. Garcia also went beyond learning about design to include learning about the local communities of artisans, the pride they have in their respective crafts, and the struggles they face. Now, his label Tagpi serves as a vibrant quilt that brings together various materials and handcrafting techniques from all over the country. 

 

The fresh faces

 

Jose Iñigo Villegas for Iñigo

Currently at a stage where his focus is on the refinement of his design identity and perspective, Jose Iñigo Villegas wants his brand to defy expectations even as it leans even more into the classics. That means fresh reinterpretations through subtle subversions that present familiar silhouettes with surprising details and finishes.

 

 

Jun Escario

After 30 years in the industry and shaping the landscape of Philippine bridal, corporate, couture, and, more recently, RTW design, Jun Escario plans to further expand his reach by learning the intricacies of the international fashion cycle. Though he had already made forays into the Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur markets and then decided that focusing on his Filipino audience was more efficient, his participation in FASHIONPhilippines in Milan 2026 signals a fresh development in his design trajectory—one that will broaden the world’s understanding of Filipino glamor. Photo by Beatty Lyn Santos.

 

Vin Orias for ORIAS

In the 10 years since he established his namesake brand, Vin Orias has been receiving accolades from local fashion pundits. Always conscious of the needs of those living in the tropics, he uses natural textiles and artisanal techniques to produce contemporary-looking yet timeless bags and shoes that blend well with the local climate and culture. It’s a subtler approach to design that Orias hopes to continue to apply to his label, even as he lays the groundwork for a potential global expansion.

 

Viña Romero 

Viña Romero doesn’t innovate just for innovation’s sake. She prefers each piece released by her eponymous brand to be made with intention, informed by the material it is made of and how the fabric weavers and seamstresses in her atelier interact and work with the textiles. Refusing to conform to the demands of a highly commercial industry, Romero is confident in the timeless appeal her slower, meticulous approach yields.

 

Ziv Rei Alexi

An intuitive approach to fashion, inspired by the local culture he gets to observe during the long commute to his Escolta-based studio, gives Ziv Rei Alexi’s designs an affective appeal. Dynamic, slyly subversive, and authentic to his own voice, the designer’s collections present a different, edgier facet of Filipino culture.

 

Jillian Santos and Paulina Dayrit for Palengke

Palengke has shown growth in the 5 years since its establishment, but it hasn’t lost the whimsy, experimental, and slightly off-kilter charm that made it one to watch among the country’s emerging brands. With its founders, Jillian Santos and Paulina Dayrit, now part of the second cohort for FASHIONPhilippines in Milan, Palengke followers can look forward to the brand’s further evolution, both in the stories its collections tell and the workmanship evident in its pieces. Image courtesy of Vogue Philippines. 

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Learn more about FASHIONPhilippines in Milan 2026 here.

FASHIONPhilippines is the country’s banner program for marketing local fashion enterprises internationally. With CITEM at the helm, the program has brought local brands to top international trade shows and exhibitions, including the Centrestage trade show in Hong Kong and the Asia Pacific Textile Expo (APTExpo) in Singapore. FASHIONPhilippines Milan is co-presented by the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) and the Philippine Consulate General in Milan. It is implemented with the support of the Philippine Fashion Coalition (PFC). and LIT Fashion Consultancy.