Filipino designer Bea Cruz has bagged two major awards at the international Fashion Week San Diego (FWSD) runway in California held virtually this year amid the Covid 19 pandemic.
The 22-year-old fashion designer came in first place for the top designer award, besting veteran contenders for the coveted title in the longest-running and independently-owned traditional fashion week that showcases emerging designers from around the world.
Bea Cruz PH, the young designer’s own start-up fashion brand, also won the Art & Beauty Behind Fashion 2020 Best Team award.
Bea Cruz’s “Vivirá” fall collection was inspired by the silhouettes of traditional Philippine clothing and made its international debut on the FWSD show which was streamed live in San Diego, California on October 17, 2020.
“Vivirá is a Spanish word that means “will live”. The collection is about as fashion evolves, cultural clothing will live beyond generations,” Cruz explained.
The award-winning designer from Negros Occidental put her unique spin on traditional Philippine garbs such as the baro’t saya, panuelo, and barong, to create clothes for the modern Filipina. Many of Cruz’s creations are made from a blend of pineapple fibers and silk.
“This is my modern take to it – living out Philippine traditional clothing to the present time, the youth culture,” Cruz added.
The Filipino designer had to ship the whole collection to the contest and was not able to attend physically due to travel restrictions in place to contain the spread of the COVID-19 disease.
“I was socially distanced for a thousand miles…I’m truly honored to be showcasing a collection with these amazing designers amidst the uncertainty this year has. WE MADE IT THROUGH!” Cruz wrote in a Facebook post.
Fashion Week San Diego is the first and only bi-national fashion week in the world. FWSD has been able to launch the careers of many designers and continues to grow every year.
Pinoy designs were showcased by Filipino Lionell Lanuzo in Stuttgart, Germany who impressed with his elaborate gown and national costume creations made of indigenous materials.
Palawan-based company AraPilak launched a clothing line made from flour sack fabric or ‘katsa’ to empower Filipina women and promote environmental sustainability amid the pandemic.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below to Bea Cruz for winning top awards at the San Diego Fashion Week!
Want to know how to be a Proud Pinoy? Like, Follow, Subscribe to GoodNewsPilipinas.com, and our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Good News Pilipinas! TV on YouTube, for new good story notifications and e-mail newsletters for updates on more Filipino Pride stories
