Followers of local fashion will get to see the artistry of homegrown brands and designers as they gather at an upcoming fashion “station” in Makati City.
Called PHx Station, the multi-brand fair will help rising local fashion designers promote and showcase their products to potential customers and partners.
Spearheading this event are local contemporary fashion designers Esme Palaganas and Seph Bagasao with the support of art advocate Trickie Lopa. They formed a fashion business initiative called Phx Fashion Group.
In a press conference on September 12, the three creatives introduced the PHx Station as a “dynamic market activity” featuring up-and-coming local designers seeking to bring their artistry on par with global standards.
Lopa also explained that she and her fellow artists named the event “PHx Station” because they likened it to a “station” that can serve as a “departure point” and “arrival point” for Filipino artists.
Lopa also referenced a separate event before the fair, the PHx Fashion Conference. This will be the first time the conference will return since the pandemic lockdowns.
She said that the PHx Station is “a departure point for both taking off after our conference and arrival to those who joined our conference to come and then showcase what you’ve learned.”
Eleven designers were selected to join the fair. They are:
Alexie Nethercott or Alexie
HAMU
Novel Worldwide
Kelvin Morales
IMMA Universe
Lilianna Manahan
Le Ngok
Renz Edward Reyes
Jill Lao
Bagasao
APARA
Lopa expressed excitement for the new shopping event.
“This is the most exciting popup to happen in Manila in the last quarter of the year where all the most innovative names in Philippine contemporary fashion will be found,” she said.
Moreover, in collaboration with fashion schools College of St. Benilde, iAcademy, and SoFA, selected students from each school will also be given the opportunity to showcase their collections to shoppers at the mall.
The PHx Station is set to run for three months, from October 2023 to January 2024 at Greenbelt 5 in Makati City.
This will be the culmination of this year’s edition of the PHx Fashion Conference. The conference will be held at the Ayala Museum in Makati City from November 17 to 19.
Debuting in November 2019, it is dedicated to fledgling local designers working on their art and businesses.
Bagasao, Palaganas and Lopa formed the PHx Fashion Group to help aspiring local designers build their businesses through education and market incubation.