NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
In the continuing narration of fashion, Cebu-based young designer Jann Bungcaras exhibits a creativity and compassion well beyond his years
Jann Bungcaras presents a minimalist collection for maximum comfort
Fashion, at its most primal state, is an emotional, sometimes guttural reaction to tangible frivolities and follies. Whether it is as simple as a non-committal purse of the lip or an exaggerated “Oh my God” exhaled in a full gush of breath, what is perceived to be a heightened trivial is actually a culmination of both the designer’s tireless creative process and the audience bearing witness to what is arguably an extensive work of art in itself.
The moment a wispy and whimsical army of white floated on the industrial runway space at the successful iteration of the Bench Design Awards, the audience in attendance were immediately whisked away to their childhood as realized in The Little Prince- inspired pieces of Cebu-based young designer, Jann Bungcaras. “In a design aspect, I am always inspired by narrations of fiction and history. An oxymoron in terms of reality, since the latter is imaginative while the other is truth,” he says of the genesis of his entry to the competition. A precise study of monochrome in complementing neutrals of white,
cream and beige, lashed appropriately with brown and orange, the collection was nostalgic in inspiration as it was forward in structure and silhouette.
Much like the creative who have come before him, Jann Bungcaras has always taken to art as a form of escape, gravitating to it early on as he first learned how to draw than walk. However, the path was never easy for him, as he struggled to find his footing academically as a result of a brain trauma. What can be perceived as debilitating proved to providential for the young designer as it encouraged him to obtain a new objective memory, which has only given more drive to strike big on the path he is now. After an attempt at a Nursing degree, he then pursued a staggered fashion education in SoFA Makati and FIP Cebu, which he unfortunately wasn’t able to finish due to unforeseen circumstances. “Without completing a fashion curriculum, I simply rely on my creativity and combined recollections of what I learnt from both schools, to garner clients here in the country and abroad; and with my head held high,
fashion competitions, too,” he says of his circumstance. A conversation starter or ender, depending on how you look at it, he is choosing to propel himself forward with his dreams and plans for his brand. “I always have big dreams, which makes me emotional and scared just by thinking of them,” he reveals. “But I guess that is a good thing. And the only way to achieve them is by taking the right steps, never giving up, and keeping the faith.”
With works anchored on conceptualization, narration, and even sustainability, Jann Bungcaras is invariably allowing himself to a reality that is perhaps bigger than he imagines. Being based in Cebu has also given a level-headed sensibility as he is able to derive four key points to make his designs successful. “Time and distance in ways that to meet a client’s expectations, I must consider the two before even talking about the design,” he explains. “Then there is the shipping time, the impalpability of the pieces before arrival, and the unphysical communication.” Considering all these, combined with a genderless and juxtaposed design aesthetic, it seems that the young designer is already on a good trajectory of his early career, especially with an ethos that is unexpected but very much necessary for creative like him. “The goal is always to make the viewer and the wearer feel or remember something,” he concludes, further solidifying his story as one to keep an eye out for in the continuing narration of fashion.
I AM ALWAYS INSPIRED BY NARR ATIONS OF FIC TION AND ORY” HIS T