On April 22, the Aboitiz Group successfully held the 2017 Green Fashion Revolution in Manila, coinciding with the Earth Day celebration.
Three competing schools – De La Salle College of Saint Benilde (CSB), Asia Pacific College (APC) and SoFA Design Institute (SoFA) – showcased their sustainable designs on the runway. The participating students used 200 kilos of recycled materials in making their collections.
The panel of judges comprised Celia Elumba, Director of the Philippine Textile Research Institute; Paul Pangilinan, Commissioner-at-Large of the National Youth Commission; Sophia Calugay, Philippines Coordinator of U.K.-based Fashion Revolution; Sofia Aboitiz de Herrera, Local craft and talent advocate; and Janeena Chan, ABS-CBN host and fashion blogger.
In the end, SoFA took home the coveted title of Grand Champion with their collection called Pagbabago (Transition). True to the theme “Life Flourishing on Land and in Water,” the winning schools’ collection was inspired by the mangrove trees, which they described as flexible and holding life both on land and underwater. As Grand Champions, SoFA won PHP50,000 and another PHP50,000 to be used on a CSR project for a beneficiary of their choice.
“We learned a lot of techniques that you don’t usually use as a designer when you don’t do upcycling – recycling techniques, zero waste techniques – anything that can help us make a green collection, we learned because of this competition.”
-Hazel Roldan, SoFA student
CSB won first runner-up with their “Retaso” collection. Their design was inspired by deep sea creatures and the ocean. Like the adaptive nature of deep sea creatures, the collection reflects how mankind has adapted to the environment through clothing.
APC’s “Abaddon” collection, on the other hand, won second runner-up. The students’ designs wish to portray the concept of reverse creation, or the slow withering of the planet should its stewards – humanity – fail to fulfill our duty.
“What I like most about the participants is their ability to stretch their designs to incorporate recycled materials. It’s not easy to create the clothes, so I’m really impressed at how they were able to combine fashion with sustainability.”
-Sofia Aboitiz de Herrera, Local craft and talent advocate
The event was attended by about 220 people who were excited to have witnessed the schools’ innovativeness and creativity. The audience included Aboitiz team members from different business units, fashion bloggers, various media outlets, students, as well as friends and family of the participants. In order to engage the online community, people were encouraged to vote for their favorite collections through Aboitiz Foundation’s Facebook and Twitter, resulting in approximately 10,000 users reached via social media. CSB bagged the People’s Choice Award for their denim-based line.
The Green Fashion Revolution is one of Aboitiz Group’s contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It is a flagship project of the Aboitiz Foundation that aims to instill among students and the younger generation the value of proper waste management and responsible consumption.
See more photos from the 2017 GFR in Manila or watch the news clip from CNN Philippines below.
https://abe-archive.sunday.ph/cpt_video/green-fashion-revolution-cnn-philippines/