Photo by Excel Palanque
The collection reworked the design studio’s “greatest hits” as a way of thanking its customers.
At the Bench Fashion Week Spring Summer 2023, designer Christian Edward Dalogaog, known as Ched Studio, sent out a glittering lineup highlighted by his trademark creations like the “everyday barong” and his fringe dresses. The modern take on the Filipino national dress included oversized sheer polos with floral embroidery for men and piña apron tops for women. These silhouettes offered a new proposition to the traditional attire.
The Manila-based designer got his start in the industry in 2009, freelancing as a consultant designer before putting up his own brand. He has since appeared in a range of local and international fashion publications. In 2016, he was profiled in Vogue Italia and was invited by the magazine to represent the Philippines at Milan Fashion Week’s Super Talents event.
For this season’s capsule collection, Vogue Philippines catches up with Dalogaog backstage before the show. Based on the idea of “grounded optimism,” the designer tells us that the inspiration for his pieces began with a number of personal questions and the idea of survivor guilt post-pandemic.
“It’s a question of, can you be a hundred percent happy when not everyone made it back?” he tells us. “It’s a balance of happy [emotions], but at the same time, it’s grounding.”
To translate these emotions into clothes, Dalogaog highlighted what he does best. “A lot of our pieces are actually our ‘greatest hits’ or our signature pieces that are dedicated to our customers. It’s our way of saying thank you, so that’s part of being grateful,” he explains. “But also, the colors are much more subdued. . . It’s happy, but it’s darker.”
For instance, the designer took one of his crowd favorites, the white shift dress with long fringes below the knee, and recreated it with black sequins, offering a more elegant evening option.
Tying together the entire lineup of looks and his emotional inspiration, is the music. “Another important part of our collection is the song. So if you watch the show, you can really understand the whole collection.”
As the warm-toned lights came on, the models walked to the rhythm of the sweeping, “My Sweet Lord,” George Harrison’s 1970 hit from the album All Things Must Pass.
As if narrating the collection, the lyrics played:
I really want to see you
Really want to be with you
Really want to see you lord
But it takes so long, my lord
The song’s unabashed spirituality put to words the designer’s profound feelings and provided a backdrop for collection’s 70s-era leanings.
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