Throughout her five-decade-long career, Patis has been revered for her distinct Filipiniana designs and for reviving the piña fabric.
Presented by the Zonta Club of Alabang, Filipiniana is Forever is a benefit fashion show that will feature a 100-piece collection by the Grand Dame of Philippine Fashion, Patis Tesoro, on November 4 at The Grand Hyatt in BGC. It celebrates her legacy while raising funds for the Zonta Club of Alabang’s many projects and initiatives.
For the past two years, Patis Tesoro has been wanting to do a fashion show. It had been a while since she last presented a collection on the runway. “Every time I would get started, my creations would immediately get sold,” she shares lightheartedly. “So for a while, it was hard for me to actually get a full collection together. Even then, I began building the black and white pavilion on my property where I envisioned doing a show.”
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When Zonta Club Alabang president, Kathleen Liechtenstein and other members of the organization heard about Patis’ plans for a fashion show in her San Pablo home, they immediately offered to produce. “Many of us at the Zonta Club of Alabang are patrons of Patis. We immediately felt that a show as grand as this should be brought to a larger audience,” Kathleen begins. The members of the club were thrilled by the prospect of mounting a benefit fashion show featuring the Grand Dame of Philippine Fashion.
A trailblazer in women’s empowerment and cultural revival
The benefit show is both a fundraiser and a tribute to Patis. Kathleen observes, “Her body of work, values and advocacies align with the Zonta Club of Alabang.” Throughout her five-decade long career, Patis has been revered for her distinct Filipiniana designs. In 1986, she dedicated herself to the revival of piña fabric. This seminal work would later extend to other forms of craft like natural dyes and hand weaving of Philippine tropical fabrics. Patis has also championed the preservation of embroidery and needlework, emphasizing how the craft is facing demise.
“In all her endeavors, Patis has also contributed to empowering women from artisanal communities. Her team, for example, is made up of 90% women. This was an apparent common ground that we started from,” states Kathleen. She adds that like the club, Patis has also devoted her life to mentorship and education. “These are the hallmarks of empowerment,” she adds. “Her work is meaningful because she brings Filipino artistry, craft and techniques to the next generation, ensuring that it will live on.”
“In all her endeavors, Patis has also contributed to empowering women from artisanal communities. Her team, for example, is made up of 90% women.” Kathleen added.
Halik sa Batok as inspiration
On November 4, 2025, Patis will present a 100-piece collection at the Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt BGC. Aptly dubbed Filipiniana is Forever, it summarizes her life’s work and legacy. According to the artist, designer, and fashion activist she was initially inspired by the idea of a woman’s nape subtly peeking from behind the traditional baro or lightweight embroidered blouse. She details, “When you are Filipino, you are attractive when you wear the baro’t saya. Characteristically, it is folded at the back to show the nape. It’s very sensual. It is also an evolving, wearable piece of art.”
Patis’ Filipiniana is Forever collection will also feature dasters or house dresses, a preferred everyday garment of the fashion icon. Of course, she clarifies, they will be elevated via handwoven details, patchwork, and hand embroidery. Maria Clara gowns, a more formal version of the baro’t saya, are highlights of the collection.
They are joined on the runway by kimono jackets inspired by Freddie Mercury, and hand-painted barongs. “I wanted to emphasize the beauty of handmade things. Ninety five percent of the collection is handmade. Fabrics are handwoven, hand painted, hand embroidered, hand beaded.”
Art that lives, moves, and breathes
The creative process that happens inside Patis’ studio unfolds like art in constant motion. “What is the Filipiniana today?” she ponders. The designer orchestrates a rich symphony of colors, textures, patterns the way a maestro would. She utilizes handwoven fabrics like piña, jusi, tropical linens and precious weaves from various parts of the archipelago as her canvas or a blank music sheet. Hers is a process that pushes the boundaries in maximalism, piling on layers of details like notes of a crescendo. “It comes together as I see the materials,” she details.
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Tradition imbues every piece of the collection, creating a distinction for her pieces as wearable art. “As humans we are naturally drawn to beautiful things and that includes fashion. We are becoming so globalized. When you look at how everyone dresses on an ordinary day, everyone looks the same!” Patis observes. She notes how this shift has blurred the lines where dressing for cultural identity is concerned. “We express our identity and even status through clothing.”
In Filipiniana is Forever, she also emphasizes a return to craft. “What if we return to handmade things?” she remarks. “Everything is changing so fast now because of technology. And there is a movement of people making technology secondary. They are returning to nature and things made by hand. Something that AI can’t touch.”
Filipiniana is now and forever
Patis has also lent her creative vision and direction to the campaign of the collection. Photographed by Jake Versoza, and shot in her San Pablo home, the imagery reflects how “Filipiniana is Forever morphs to fit the times.” At the same time, the designer wanted to stress the relationship between the Filipino dress and national identity.
“All Filipinos aspire to dress in a sheet of handwoven piña or what resembles it. Our climate and environment necessitates this mode of dress,” Patis says, reflecting on the woman she wants to dress and how this is translated through the campaign. “I wanted to show daily wear to formal wear, focusing on the craftsmanship and artistry of our people.”
Fashion in action
“This will be the first time we do a benefit show, selling tickets for a cause,” says Kathleen. Proceeds from the ticket sales of the benefit fashion show will be dedicated to the various projects and initiatives of the Zonta Club of Alabang. These include:
- Nanay for Healthy Livers Para kay Baby – Prenatal screening for Hepatitis B, newborn immunization, catch up vaccination for children, and educational forums
- Saddle Up – Equine therapy program for underprivileged children undergoing cancer treatment
- Pagpapahalaga sa Sarili – Symposium and free screening for HPV
- 14 Days of Activism
- Ballet Brigade – Dance outreach and sponsorship program for indigenous children around the country
- Dibdib Ko Alaga Ko – Year-round educational programs for early detection of breast cancer
- Gift Giving for Tondo School of Joy – Monthly food drive for preschool kids of Tondo School of Joy
“Zonta Club of Alabang also has programs on gender equality, women’s rights, Family Code, among many others. We also put women’s empowerment front and center. It is what informs all our initiatives. Patis is the very embodiment of this. Working with her translates her language of love to our audience,” says Kathleen.
In her five decades as an artist and cultural advocate, Patis has helped shape Philippine fashion as we know it today. Her life and work have created impact for countless women artisans and communities not only within her sphere of influence but also beyond. Patis Tesoro concludes: “Filipiniana is Forever, passed from generation to generation, for as long as we have a country called the Philippines.”
Patis Tesoro’s Filipiniana is Forever is a benefit show presented by the Zonta Club of Alabang. It will happen on November 4, 2025, at the Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt BGC. Tickets are available via https://qlickpass.com. For inquiries, email zontaclubofalabang1@gmail.com.
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