Ternocon goes sporty: Athletic Filipiniana takes the field
Editor's note: On its Facebook page, the Cultural Center of the Philippines announced that due to inclement weather, Ternocon Palaro will be postponed until further notice.
All roads lead to the SM MOA football pitch on July 27 where the first Palarong Ternocon will be held. The one-night-only event, spearheaded by Bench in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines, will feature six of the country’s top and emerging designers who will interpret their own visions of athleisure. A portmanteau of the words athletic and leisure, athleisure refers to apparel that is sporty in design or construction but can also be worn off the courts, beyond the tracks or, in this case, outside the football pitch.
Since 2018, Bench has been mounting the biannual Ternocon competition with the noble aim of bringing the terno into the 21st century. It is just one of the advocacies of the country’s leading lifestyle brand that has long established its support of the local design community. Bench is also behind exhibits and the publishing of books that help propel their advocacy further.
For Palarong Ternocon, the participating designers were each tasked to create a seven-piece Filipiniana collection that would appeal to the Pinoy youth. That the items be affordably priced and available for potential buyers were key factors the designers likewise took into consideration. The six chosen designers are Lenora “Len” Cabili, Carl Jan “CJ” Cruz, Hannah Adrias, Glyn Alley Magtibay, Renz Reyes, and Jo Ann Bitagcol.
As the founder of the apparel brand Filip + Inna, Cabili wants to create pieces that celebrate and reflect Filipino craftsmanship and culture. Her brand’s mission is not just to create but also to revive and preserve Filipino traditions in danger of becoming lost or forgotten. To this end, she works with weavers, embroiderers, and beaders from all over the country.
For her set, Cabili tapped on the Filipinos’ obsession with basketball, and one that she shared with her late father. “In the Philippines, basketball is not only a national pastime, it has very strong roots in our culture that connects generations. It is a sport that I shared the love for with my Papa. For this collection, elements of the game came into play, giving focus on the curve which is central to every element of basketball,” she said.
Cabili used abaca silk from Sebu, ikat from Ifugao, plaid fabrics and mainstream textiles. “I love embroidery and beadwork as surface application on the garments and applied it as much as I could.”
London-trained Carl Jan Cruz recently marked his 10th year as a designer. In 2018, he was included in the list of Vogue Italia talents but it was his 2017 collection that was presented in Fashion Week showrooms in Paris and Milan. Cruz describes his work thus far as a collection of visual autobiographies that aim to analyze and unpack the past and present.
For Palarong Ternocon, he took the theme of athleisure and interpreted it using lightweight fabrics that, he said, “find the balance between tradition and playful intentionality.” For a kimona, Cruz used a vintage Bench T-shirt, cutting out the original print, embroidering over it, and adding floral appliqués. Even an old bedsheet was given new life as a saya dyed in iron pigment. The same attention was given to a set of patterned pillowcases reimagined as a top. “We wanted to breathe new life not only in the Filipiniana but also in existing found objects,” Cruz said.
A Slims alumna, Hannah Adrias was the Gold Medal winner at Ternocon 2020 for her three-piece, military-inspired collection. At the onset, her mentor, designer Lesley Mobo, identified her strong tailoring skills and instructed her to hone them which led to her eventual triumph.
When she was imagining her collection for Palarong Ternocon, she pictured it as “a blend of comfort and functionality incorporated with traditional Filipiniana elements that can be worn casually.” Her tailoring skills and keen eye for what will appeal to a younger market — say, a men’s barong doing double duty as a windbreaker jacket—will once more be on display.
“I pictured a group of cool friends, walking in the school field after class, having fun sporting their colorful outfits set in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s,” Adrias said.
A finalist at Ternocon 2023, Slims alumna Glyn AlleyMagtibay presented a wonderfully weird terno collection that incorporated stiff medical X-ray sheets fashioned into butterfly sleeves, eyewear and even a briefcase. Her unique entry was included in the exhibit, “50 Years of Philippine Design” held at the National Museum of the Philippines.
She chose to interpret the Palarong Ternocon with an intramurals theme focusing on clothing she imagined the batch muses and star players would wear. “When I heard the term ‘athleisure,’ I imagined sporty garments that weren’t just functional, but also fashionable. I was particularly drawn to the muses and ace players—their confidence, their charm, and the way they carried themselves with a lasting impression of pride and power.”
Magtibay combined sportswear fabrics and Filipino textiles for a collection that, she said, “merges athletics with heritage, creating a fusion that speaks to the modern generation—fresh, relevant, yet deeply rooted in Filipino identity.” Keep an eye out for her take on the kimona, crafted from piña and cotton fabrics, and designed with Yakan hood and a chessboard design complete with appliquéd chess pieces.
After winning the Bench Fashion Awards in 2018, designer Renz Reyes had the opportunity to show his collection at Tokyo Fashion Week. Two years later, he was a finalist at Ternocon 2020 where his collection recognized beauty in decay.
This time, he took the theme of athleisure and interpreted it in his own way. “I’m not a sporty person but there are a lot of interesting design details you can see in athletic wear that you can easily translate into something custom and interesting. I decided I would lean in more on the simplicity and function of athleisure (for my set).” To this end, he eschewed the usual tropes of evening wear, namely heavy embellishments and ostentatiousness. “I wanted my collection to be a contemporary interpretation of traditional Filipiniana codes,” Reyes said.
Without much artifice in his creations for Palarong Ternocon, he chose to let his skills in construction and patternmaking do the heavy lifting. “I thought of how young kids dress, how they style themselves. That informed me on the silhouettes I needed to design. Ultimately, I want my pieces to be ones they can wear with what’s already in their wardrobes,” Reyes said.
Model-photographer and designer Jo Ann Bitagcol started selling her photo-printed scarves back in 2019. The lush scarves were printed with ghostly images of gossamerthin camisas, terno tops, antique hairbrushes and cameo brooches. She has since expanded her range to include boxy shirts, kimono tops, cover-ups and reversible bubble skirts that she sells at the Bench X Katutubo PH pop-ups held periodically at Bench Tower.
Bitagcol said it wasn’t difficult to interpret athleisure since her design philosophy has always included sporty or athletic elements. “The one thing that makes us unique is the use of photography in our pieces. The photos of barong Tagalog and ternos integrated with contemporary designs and silhouettes… are my take on our national wear adapting to time,” Bitagcol said.
This edition of Palarong Ternocon is mounted by Bench and CCP with the support of SM Mall of Asia.
