MANIFESTO

The six characters of Jude Macasinag and their binding declaration of movement, spontaneity, and meaning

- MARIAN SAN PEDRO

Fashion, in the way Jude Macasinag perceives it, can be divided into two purposes: first, to clothe, and second, to create an image. The results are designs that are made of relevance to the body-designs that are in closest proximity to ourselves, literally. But this concept no longer revolves around covering the body, but also in the process of creation and how beliefs are deemed pertinent to it. Design now involves narrative, and engages its audience into discussions about it without the need to wear the clothes themselves.

More than just a group of clothes, a collection has the ability to portray stories with more conviction. And Macasinag was able to tap into this prowess through the format of six characters, whose attributes seep into the looks that form the Manifesto collection. These characters, namely the Collector, the Nomad, the Builder, the Homemaker, the Creative, and the Citizen, depict figures which emblematize different stages and chapters that Macasinag has encountered or is continuing to experience. The collection is akin to a diary; however, its contents are not made specific, and thus Macasinag hopes they remain universally relevant.

THE COLLECTOR AND THE NOMAD

"The Collector is representative of childhood-how we, as young observers, gather memories, objects, and people that shape our growth as who we become."

As a child, Macasinag would hoard miscellaneous tiny objects that piqued his interest-rocks, fragments of fabrics, balloons, stuffed toys, and art materials.

"I may probably have the most cliché background in fashion," Macasinag says. "I started drawing at the age of two or three, just mere doodles, which then later on formed into drawings of people in clothing. I was young when I knew I wanted to do fashion. For a while, later on in my childhood, I segued into other forms of visual arts, but I soon then returned to fashion."