BENCH DESIGN AWARDS 2018: RUNWAY REPORT
10 emerging designers presented their collections as finalists at the Bench design awards competition. in time for spring/summer 2019, meet the three winners who will be sent to Japan for amazon Fashion week in Tokyo.
In its 31st year, homegrown #LoveLocal brand Bench celebrates the second edition of its emerging fashion design competition – the Bench Design Awards. Having risen to the top of the retail arena, the company continues to support local creatives by giving voice to their talents.
With the goal of discovering young Filipino designers who are ready to take on the world’s runway, the competition creates a platform for emerging fashion designers to be seen and heard. Not to mention giving them the opportunity to compete on the global stage.
After the nationwide open call last June 8, 10 finalists were selected to present their collections on the final day of Bench Fashion Week. The panel of judges included Akiko Shinoda, director of International Affairs of Tokyo Fashion Week; Yoshio Yokobori, international consultant; Shige Kaneko, Tokyo-based runway and fashion show producer; Tetta Ortiz-Matera, former model and AMFT Philippines Project Consultant; and finally, Ben Chan, chairman of the board at Suyen Corp.
The new crop of designers brought fresh energy to the runway. The creativity was through the roof, but in the end, only the top three were awarded the opportunity to present their collections alongside Bench at Amazon Fashion Week spring/summer 2019 in Tokyo. For the second edition of the Bench Design Awards, and in no particular order, the collections of Ottomondi, Ched Studio and Renz Reyes were selected for the top prize.
In this YStyle runway report, meet the 10 finalists and their collections from Bench Design Awards 2018.