GOTH FILIPINIANA

Photography: MJ Suayan

Creative Direction: MJ Suayan/Raffy Tesoro

Words: Raffy Tesoro/Jopie Sanchez

Designer & Styling: Patis Tesoro

Hair & Makeup: Jopie Sanchez

Models: Rachel Miranda & Vanessa Tedesco

Produced by Nina Tesoro

CONSUMED BY ANTIQUITY

MJ Suayan pairs with Patis Tesoro to create a shared vision that highlights the seriousness of traditional fashion. Patis Tesoro herself is a master of Filipiniana and a respected designer known for her work that spans 40 years. She is continuously reviving and preserving Philippine culture through fashion, arts and handicrafts. Having meticulously learned the proper techniques to create traditional Philippine dress; she applies her knowledge to create new interpretations of Filipiniana. While her foundation of traditional knowledge is legendary, she nevertheless continues to inspire Filipinos of all ages to draw inspiration from her body of work. She revived the dying art of weaving Pineapple fabric, a cloth found only in the Philippines and highly regarded as one of the most delicate and beautiful of its kind anywhere. Made purely by hand, it is a process that defies modernization and provides a solid link to the Philippines’ penchant for detail, meticulousness and finework. Her quest to complete tradition has led her to revive several other aspects of Filipino handiwork as well, from recreating embroidery & beadwork to providing livelihood to the artisans who create it.

What is old is timeless. Even with the march of progress, we are drawn to the lessons of the past. The sight, scent, sound, taste, texture… it brings forth a history lived by our predecessors and harks back to old memories. It threads human culture to bridge the past and the future. This is the power of nostalgia. As we pivot away from the sunny tropical feel often associated with the Philippines, a new idea is borne from the old. Dark, earthen textures and antiques set the tone for a brooding editorial that showcases the stark beauty of Philippine design. MJ’s aesthetic of bringing out the darkness in all of us is apparent in the disjointed transmutations of his subjects from flesh to something else; a transformation brought about by the sensation beyond sadness that leads to the unfeeling. Yet, we soldier on.

Eaten by the past, consumed by antiquity; for when the heart breaks but no longer bleeds is how we know the fight is done.