FILIPINXT, a New York-based organization, has declared the New York Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2025 Show in Manhattan a success. The event showcased the brilliance of Filipino designers, including capsule collections from Bessie Besana, Wilson Limon of NIñoFranco, Gabby Garcia of Tagpi, and Llamanzares Barongs. The main show also featured three outstanding women designers: Adrienne Charuel of Maison Metisse, Chynna Mamawal, and Andrea Tetangco, who showcased their world-class creations.
Serving glamour at the event, which Yancy Trinidad directed, were fashion icon and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach and Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel. As a premium fashion platform for Filipino fashion brands and designers, Filipinxt is a celebration of Filipino Excellence.
Adrienne Charuel, the founder and creative director of Maison Matisse, a brand that focuses on sustainable advocacy, says: “As a Filipina, I feel proud, and I also feel very thankful to be part of Filipinxt. It’s not easy to do a show in New York. It’s a great opportunity.”
Filipino-American actor, model, and professional 3×3 basketball player Cole Micek, along with R’Bonney Gabriel, made a significant impact by walking for designer Chynna Mamawal, who marvels: “My goal is to become an even more known international brand from the Philippines. I’m excited to be part of Filipinxt because it’s literally from Manila to Manhattan. So it’s good that Filipinos have this platform to showcase their clothes.”
Andrea Tetangco, whose contemporary clothing line focuses on bridal gowns and eveningwear, assesses her first time to show a collection in New York: “Filipinxt is innovative, creative, and the future of fashion. It is the next platform for Filipino designers to showcase globally.”
A returning designer, Wilson Limon of NIñoFranco, was still very much excited for this season because he got to do a pop-up: “New York Fashion Week is one of my bucket lists. And I think that Filipinxt is a great avenue for us to showcase our pieces. Filipinxt is exciting. It’s progressive. And evolving.”
Gabby Garcia, the creative director of Tagpi, the brand he started as a passion project to help local artisans affected during the pandemic, gushes: “I feel like I want to be able to show what we have in the Philippines to a more global stage. And I feel like Filipinxt is the right platform for it. I want to make people realize that our culture and traditions are something to be proud of. For me, Filipinxt is exciting, fulfilling, and still hopeful. It is the next social movement.”
As a producer, Bessie Besana believes that his brainchild, Filipinxt, will only get better and more significant: “Filipinxt really revolves around the idea of bringing the Filipino talent to New York, and New York is a fashion capital of the world, I think this is the best platform for all of the designers that are talented from the Philippines to be able to showcase what the Filipino talent could deliver.
“On top of that, we are also introducing the Filipinxt e-commerce platform at filipinxt.com, which will be available in October 2024, just about Filipino Month. We are pushing forward to support our designers. We want them to create more markets outside the Philippines, and we want them to chat with other buyers and with different stores around the world, not only within the Philippine community.
“Filipinxt is the future of Philippine fashion. Filipinxt is bold. Filipinxt is fearless. Filipinxt is Filipino Excellence. Filipinxt is now. We have to create that time. We have to create that space for the Filipino talent NOW.”
The FILIPINXT Spring-Summer 2025 Show was made possible through the generous support of its presenters, the Philippine Consulate General in New York and Kalye NYC, and sponsors including Crimson Boracay, FPJ Panday Bayanihan, New York Makeup Academy, Gretz Jewelry, La Belle Fete, Dominic Senador Photography, Jervy Santiago, Michael Maniago Photography, DJ Filipino Events, Jazzcorp Manpower Group, and AMRG Events by Monique Galang.
