Philippine fashion takes center stage at Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo
Ben Chan did not require much convincing to be part of ‘Asian Fashion Meets Tokyo.’ His brand Bench has had numerous collaborations with Filipino designers and AFMT seemed like a natural progression towards his vision to #lovelocal, go global.
For the second year, the Asian Fashion Meets Tokyo (AFMT)– Philippines edition came to a rousing finish with a highly successful, SRO fashion show featuring the collections of three young and very talented designers: Carl Jan Cruz, Karen Topacio and Seph Bagasao, alongside Filipino retail giant Bench.
The show, held during the recently concluded Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo, was the highlight of a 10- day program organized by the Overseas Human Resources and Industry Development Association (HIDA), a government agency in cooperation with the
Japan Fashion Week ( JFW) organization. The project was developed to foster new fashion talents in Asia and give them a platform to showcase their designs and introduce their brands to the Japanese market.
With the generous support and participation of Bench, this year’s show was bigger, attracting a crowd of more than 500 comprised of Japanese and foreign fashion press, style influencers and personalities, fashionloving locals, expatriates and Tokyo- based Filipinos. The runway and backstage press coverage surpassed last year’s, with Sara Maino of Vogue Talents sitting front row, together with Misha Janette, Tokyo fashion blogger and Bureau of Fashion’s #500, to name a few.
When JFW asked me last year to consult and liaise for this project, I did not think twice. During prior conversations with JFW’s Akiko Shinoda while covering Fashion Week Tokyo, I expressed my wish to see Filipino designers one day take part in the weeklong fashion event. Little did I know that it was going to happen sooner rather than later.
Last year, I reached out to friends who believed in the merits of the project for support; this year, I wanted to find someone in the fashion industry who shared the same passion I did in promoting and supporting Filipino talents. I found this in Ben Chan, owner of Bench. Known for his big heart and generous spirit, Ben did not require much convincing to be part of the “Asian Fashion Meets Tokyo” project. His brand Bench, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year, has had numerous collaborations with Filipino designers and AFMT — the Philippines seemed like a natural progression towards his vision to #lovelocal, go global.
The three young designers wowed the crowd with their individually strong collections of conceptual clothes with hints of Filipino influences, both modern and traditional. “I am very happy to be a part of this amazing project and be able to support our young Filipino designers,” Ben Chan said during the press conference with Carl, Karen and Seph after the show at Hikarie in Shibuya. “Hopefully it won’t be the first and the last,” he added. What with the treasure trove of talents we have in the Philippines.
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