As many of you know, I’ve been living here in Geneva, Switzerland since I moved away from the Philippines in 2013, working primarily for UN agencies, telling stores through videos, photography and developing visual design strategies. Within the last few months, the yearning for getting back to a more creative format has been calling, so I’m going back to my roots as a clothing designer while still working at engaging agencies in the fields of aid & development and public health.
My work allows me to travel a lot between Asia, Africa and Europe, and it’s on these journey’s that I’m most inspired, whether I’m behind a lens, giving direction to my crew, or in a market fabric shopping.
Years ago when I started my own design house, some of you may remember that I was drawn to upholstery fabrics because of color and texture, and this remains true today with wax prints as they remind me of my earlier days of inspiration, home made quilts, quite common in the Southern portion of the United States where I grew up.
Dutch Wax Prints also known as African wax prints are omnipresent and common materials for clothing in Africa, especially West Africa. They are industrially produced, colorful cotton cloths with batik printing. One feature of these materials is the lack of difference in the color intensity of front and back side. The wax fabric can be sorted into categories of quality due to the processes of manufacturing.
The producer, name of the product and registration number of the design is printed on the selvage, protecting the design and allowing reading the quality of the fabric.
The design of the wax print fabrics already has an influence on the international world of fashion and lifestyle. They are an inspirational source for designers and companies, hence Africa Influenced.
With that, feel free to check out the small capsule collection featured here that I produced from wax fabrics with my tailor in the Philippines. All of the pieces featured are 1-of-a-kind with some having already been sold.There are more pieces on the way and we will upload them as they arrive. They are 1-of-a-kind.
Enjoy our journey as we still Engage our Audience With Content That Matters.
