“My parents are very simple people,” says designer Cheetah Rivera. “For them to be photographed like this—for me, that was the whole point.” Photo courtesy of Cheetah Rivera.
Cheetah Rivera’s latest project is a heartfelt tribute to the sacrifice, resilience, and quiet strength of her parents.
“Pamilyang Payak… Well, it’s a Tagalog word,” says Cheetah Rivera about her collection. “Payak means simple. It’s a very deep Tagalog word, one that not all Filipinos get to use. It comes from the native tongue, pure Filipino, and it’s such a strong word.” Rivera, a designer known for her patriotic flair and gift for storytelling, turns inward with this body of work. “It’s just so relatable to me,” she says. “Because I grew up in a very, very simple family.”
This collection isn’t just a fad; it’s a tribute to her origins. “My dad used to work as a tricycle driver and my mom used to work as a domestic helper,” Rivera shares. “She left me when I was around four years old. They are very hard-working folks, and I’m just really proud of them.” The garments, delicately constructed yet rooted in everyday materials, serve as both a love letter and a cultural revival. “It’s a time for me to highlight my hard work, the hard work they did, for me to be here as a fashion designer,” she says.
She speaks candidly about the power of family in all its forms. “Also being part of the LGBT community helped a lot,” Rivera adds. “A creative child needs support from a family to pursue her dreams. And for them, it wasn’t even a question of gender anymore. They love me.”
The concept of Pamilyang Payak took years to develop. “I’ve been doing so many clothes for so many people, and I guess it’s time to craft something for my parents,” she says. “Like an art piece that immortalized my parents’ hard work.” The silhouettes, inspired by Filipiniana from the beginning of the 20th century, particularly the traje de mestiza with butterfly sleeves, reflect Rivera’s extensive research and reverence. “I was part of Ternocon, and that helped me study Filipiniana and learn more about our national costume,” she explains. “I picked the 1910s because I got curious: what were Filipinas wearing during the time of the Titanic? European ladies had ostentatious garments, and Filipinas wore this beautiful silhouette too. That’s what I wanted to work with.”
She reached for materials that evoked home and memory, such as linen and tablecloths. “Really simple materials,” she notes. Rivera nods to modernization subtly: “As a contemporary designer living in the 21st century, how I modernized it is maybe the feel of the collection. Maybe in terms of color, I adjusted it, made it easier to the eye. But I want to retain the whole essence of how a terno and Filipina dress is composed.” The silhouettes, she says, remain “authentic to the 1910s.”
Vintage photographs were instrumental. “A friend of mine gifted me lots of photographs from the 1910s of Filipinas wearing different kinds of Filipinianas,” she shares. “I used three of those photographs as advertisements. I incorporated stories into them, and it was very inspiring.”
The ultimate intent, however, extends beyond personal branding. “The main intention of the shoot is to pay tribute to my parents,” Rivera says. “And secondly, to engage Filipinos to create Filipino family portraitures again. No one does it anymore. With all the technology we have, this is a tradition that’s being forgotten.” For Rivera, fashion becomes an act of cultural preservation. “My intent as a Filipino fashion designer is to show Filipinos that, ‘Hey, we have this tradition, and you have to revive it.’ It’s such a shame we would forget these beautiful things.”
The experience of dressing and photographing her parents was deeply moving. “We’re very simple,” she says again. “And for them to be photographed by someone good, to even have a glam team, it’s something new for them. I’m just really glad I made them feel that my work has a purpose.”
On a final note, she says, “As a designer, I would also like to say you ought to have a proper life. I’m also a daughter. I’m also a friend. Sometimes the world forgets that.”
But not here. In Pamilyang Payak, every stitch remembers.
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