PROBLEM PHILIPPINES

“My full name is Jennifer Anne Contreras, and I’d describe myself as a fashion designer and digital artist,” says the creative who studied fashion design and merchandising at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in Manila. “When I was little, I used to play on my dad’s computer with the MS Paint program, and my cousin, who’s a wedding-gown designer, taught me to draw fashion gures. Starting with freehand sketching, I then tried doing these gures using MS Paint, and then Photoshop. Since then I’ve been incorporating digital art into my designs.” After her experience as creative director at Arin and as a graphic designer and style editor for an Australian paper, the designer went on to found Problem: “My brand was supposed to be called Problem Child, as I wanted a name that people could relate to: at some point I think everyone was a problem child, or wanted to be one. But when I checked, there were already two labels with that name, so I decided to call the brand Problem – which is short, catchy, angsty and relatable.” Her victory at the Bench Design Awards allowed her to show at Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo. “During our stay in Tokyo we were able to meet some Thai designers. I really love Takara Wong’s work and I’d love to do a collaboration with him.” Her plans also include a focus on artisan skills: “I recently started learning about local craftsmanship and I’m planning a trip around the country to explore local techniques and textiles.” •