Wearable Art at London Fashion Week 2023

March 15, 2023

PamPinay, an up-and-coming Philippine avant-garde fashion house, showcased its latest collection in the House of Ikons runway on 18 February 2023 at Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s during London Fashion Week. 

The innovative designers of PamPinay, Pamela Gotangco and Christian Belaro, have created a new spin on traditional Filipiniana dresses and costumes like the bolero, terno, and baro’t saya, making them wearable, sleek and fun.

The opportunity to showcase their creations at London Fashion Week is a testament to PamPinay’s creative use of sustainable materials, upcycled pieces, and incorporation of handwoven fabrics from Philippine indigenous groups such as binakol and kantarines handwoven fabric from Abra; the embroidery, art and beading of the T’boli tribe in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato; and inabel from Ilocos. 

PamPinay’s story began at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2021, Europe-based Filipina artists Gotangco and Belaro set up a social project to help answer the needs of seamstresses and weavers in the Philippines. The fashion brand was born out of the creativity of Gotangco, a multi-awarded visual artist based in Switzerland, and Belaro, a graphic fashioner based in England. Both women designed and produced a collection of high-quality wearable art showcasing Filipino-crafted designs, with the aim of promoting social entrepreneurship, sustainability, and responsible branding.