MANILA, Philippines?When Ninoy said his now immortal line, ?The Filipino is worth dying for,? I doubt he had any idea that he?d literally become today?s fashion victim.

Two decades later, our nation?s martyr has become the hottest profile on that definitive signpost of modern zeitgeist: the statement T-shirt.

In celebration of his 25th death anniversary this year, the cool creatives over at Team Manila and Analog Soul have designed graphic tees in honor of Ninoy Aquino. Even his signature retro eyeglass frames have been deconstructed for its symbolic value.

Even before these collections were released, there were already classic yellow Ninoy tees being peddled in underground stores, popping up every now and then among trendy young urbanites, some of whom were probably not born yet on that fateful date of Aug. 21, 1983.

These shirts are but an example of a growing pop culture trend that finds fashion cohabitating with patriotism, producing offspring with a catchy name: Fashionalism.

The buzzword is attributed to designer Rhett Eala when he unveiled his My Pilipinas line for Collezione C2, which splashed the Philippine archipelago on collared shirts and cotton polos.

?Fashionalism is the thrust of our My Pilipinas series,? shares Eala. ?We?ve infused fashion, art, and nationalism into our clothing line. We want to make nationalism hip and relevant to today?s generation.?

When the line was launched two years ago, there were three styles using the Philippine map. Now almost all styles have the map.

?It?s a fun way to show your pride in being Filipino, without a lot of words. Filipinos have today become global citizens,? he says.

The map shirts have become a hit, especially among balikbayans and Pinoy expatriates who bought heaps of the shirts as pasalubong. Rhett says he is thinking of incorporating other symbols, such as the sun or the word ?Pilipinas.?

Raise the red flag

The archipelago was also splashed on the wide straps of the limited-edition ODM watches designed by Tim Yap. I cannot count how many random people had offered to buy the watch off my wrist since I got it two years ago!

Then there?s the controversial Adidas Philippine flag jackets that flew off the shelves and kept Adidas dizzy with clamors for more orders. The jackets however, were considered unconstitutional because its design broke Philippine flag law, Section 34, which prohibits anyone ?to wear the flag in whole or in part as a costume or uniform.?

This, as opposed to the cloaks and daggers that are de rigeur in government fashion.

Rival label Nike has its own fashionalista item?Manny Pacquiao dry-fit shirts. Manny is, after all, a hero in his own right.

Incorporating symbols and icons has become effective in promoting national pride in an organic, non-contrived way (read: Not baduy). Patriotism evolves from being an archaic notion into something hip. It may well be just what we need to address flagging pride and confused identity.

Now here?s the caveat: When does fashionalism become more of ?fashion? and less of ?statement?? Will the symbol eventually outweigh its substance? Will Ninoy?s face become the local equivalent of Che Guevara?s stylized image?a counterculture symbol that has overshadowed the revolutionary?s principles?

Youth, after all, tends to be enamored with imagery first before the message.

Team Manila?s iconized Ninoy eyeglasses on T-shirts could be an attempt to ask, ?If we wore Ninoy?s glasses, how would we see our country today??

We?ve got the fashion down, that?s the easy part. As for the passion?that would take a lot more than simply wearing it on our sleeves.