MANILA, Philippines – Fashionistas, historians and young students studying the rich, colorful heritage of high fashion enjoyed the Metropolitan Museum’s latest show at the Tall Galleries.

White faceless mannequins garbed in couture fabrics bursting in “vinta” and “sarimanok” colors offered a retrospective of Ben Farrales’ signature Muslim-inspired styles, including creations by a handful of designers. The exhibit was called “Gayak Mindanao, Fashioning a Rich Heritage.”

At a time when Islam, Hindu and Muslim influences rule the world of haute couture and world politics, it is significant that we rethink our ideas of Filipiniana, which often consists of Hispanic colonial styles found in the “baro’t saya,” the Maria Clara and its very modern sibling, the butterfly sleeved “terno.”

Vibrant garb

“Gayak Mindanao” dares us to re-examine our nationhood that was largely Muslim until the 16th century. Accounts of Chinese traders recounted that in the 12th century, the Philippine islands were ruled by sultans and datus who wore richly woven, unapologetically vibrant and color-saturated garb like the malong, the kebaya, salawal and the sarong.

One has to look no further than the basement of the Metropolitan Museum to see how our forefathers wore intricate and now-lost gold ornaments such as belts, necklaces, amulets and ankle bracelets thousands of years ago.

Who can forget the story of the island of Panay being bought with a golden “salakot”? And who hasn’t found supreme drama and elegance in the dance called “singkil,” complete with the perfectly syncopated clashing of bamboo poles and brass gongs?
It was our own Mang Ben Farrales who became the purveyor of this Muslim style in fashion, not by choice but by design.

“As an impressionable youngster of 12, I stowed away on an American ship to follow my Ate Aida, about 15 years my senior, to Cotabato when she became the wife of Sen. Salipada Pendatun,” reveals Mang Ben.

“I woke up to the sounds and sights of this most exotic culture when I studied and lived there for a few years, with a lifestyle garbed in the most marvellous woven fabrics that were expertly draped and knotted on the body for a perfect fit. The traditions and customs were imprinted on my young mind. The gold jewelry, mythical creatures, inlaid boar and shiny brass gador fixtures of this wonderful world became my own private and lifelong well of inspiration.

Enduring art

Mang Ben is on his 57th year as the respected dean of Philippine fashion. He is active in raising two wards, a devoted Sto. Niño organizer and is most generous when it comes to sharing his talent and advice with many successful designers like Cesar Gaupo and Danny Franco.

Geometric patterns and stylized vegetative patterns in his creations recall the enduring Islamic art, infused with the ethnic touches of the indigenous Maranaw, Manobo and Bagobo tribes.
Rich embellishment and ornamentation are found on intricately beaded and appliquéd formal long gowns and wedding gowns.

Mang Ben Farrales has done away with the limitations of the original costumes, using them instead as springboards to catapult his style into the realm of contemporary yet classic interpretations. In his mind’s eye is the sublime perfection of editing and theatrical drama—achieved, for instance, through the clashing colors or turquoise, red and purple in one strapless long gown with a Hindu veil that was flown like a kite when it was shown at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC many fashion seasons ago.

Fittingly, this exhibit comes just when there is talk that a National Artist award might just go to a peer of Mang Ben, Pitoy Moreno.

Who knows, this staunch propagator of the rich cultural heritage of Mindanao might get the distinction the next time around. Anyone who saw his powerful and unforgettable couture creations at the Met would agree a hundred percent.