Videography by EJ Bonagua
Videography by EJ Bonagua
In our series In the Studio, Vogue Philippines meets with creatives to uncover their inner worlds, reflected in and around the spaces they work in. For its pilot, designer Patis Tesoro opens up her home studio in the south.
On the walk over to meet Patis Tesoro from her residence’s front gate, you’ll tread a path that is drenched in color.
The first stop is her boutique and studio. There are murals on the walls through to the ceiling (hand-painted by her assistant, Madonna, whom she had taken under her wing since they were young) and rolls of fabric that sing. Their techniques, colors, and prices are on their attached tags. Handwoven Piña Suk Suk / Green/Orange Suk Suk, one of them reads. And on another, hand-dyed Piña callado.
The faint hum of sewing machines comes from the adjacent room on the left. Inside, sewers, embroiderers, and painters are diligently at work, making the finishing touches on made-to-order pieces and on the collection Tesoro would present the next day.
The printed tile flooring leads the eye to an aparador at the far end of the shop. Vogue Philippines fashion director Pam Quiñones described the first time she saw what was inside as “filled with wonders.” Folded yards of fabric are arranged neatly into labeled piles, categorized by what type of Filipiniana they’re used for: Maria Clara, Barong, Blouse, Tapis.
Through the garden lined with looming trees and trailing vines, down a mosaic-tiled concrete walkway, Vogue would meet the veteran designer at her breakfast nook, looking bright and welcoming, wearing a bright printed daster with pink lipstick to match. When we brief Tesoro before our on-camera interview, she only smiles. “Oh, makeup? You don’t have to worry about that.”
Lunch is served in the dining room just as quickly as our introductions, and she presents us with the dishes on today’s menu: a large serving of white rice, ginisang gulay, red egg salad, and beef rendang. She cooked the latter herself, she tells us, “Though I don’t eat meat anymore.”
After sitting at the kabisera, she almost immediately launches into discussions about the states of fashion, art, and life in the Philippines. She doesn’t need our preamble; she knows exactly why we’re here.
“I’m at a point in my life where I share,” Tesoro says simply, flipping through the pages of her four-kilogram book Filipiniana Is Forever, an archive of 50 years of work. “[This kind of work] must continue. We must continue.” She continues, saying with utmost assurance, “I want every Filipino, here and abroad, to hunger for something precious.”
For the first episode of In the Studio, designer Patis Tesoro opens up her home studio in the south. At her dining table, she shares her decades-long passion for the Terno, her fascination with color and embellishment, her efforts to revive traditional Piña fabric, and her vision of designing with a distinctly Filipino identity. Watch the full video here or on the Vogue Philippines YouTube channel.
Directed by MV ISIP. Creative direction by ANZ HIZON and CHELSEA SARABIA. Producer: Julian Rodriguez. Videographer: EJ Bonagua. Camera operators: Marvin Mendoza, Angelo Cruz. Video editor: MV Isip. Graphic artist: Jana Codera. Makeup artist: Bea Mocorro. Interview by Pam Quiñones. Introduction by Chelsea Sarabia.
Additional footage from NCCA, Mohini Ochangco, Paolo Picones, Tikoy Aguiluz, Yuka Eucasion, and Nina Tesoro
Special thanks to Armando Bautista and Raffy Tesoro.
