Photographed by Borgy Angeles for the May 2024 Issue of Vogue Philippines.
“Fashion is more of a make-believe world for me. It’s luxurious. It’s beautiful. And my life in General Santos, it was not actually glamorous at all.”
Jaggy Glarino’s garments, woven with personal stories, encourage wearers to reconsider what it means to be Filipino, to be masculine, and to be true to oneself. “I grew up with such a masculine background,” the designer reflects on his upbringing in General Santos, a city in southern Mindanao, etched into the Filipino consciousness for its boxing heritage. “My dad is actually a boxer. It was an interesting contrast—between my mom taking me to the local parlor and my dad taking me to boxing training.”
This duality profoundly influences Glarino’s designs. Through his garments, he questions traditional notions of masculinity, offering a glimpse into the complexities of his personal identity and expression. They beg you to consider whether the dichotomy between menswear and womenswear should persist at all.
“Femininity and masculinity are more of a societal box that you need to fit in,” he shares. “And to me, that doesn’t truly exist right now.” Glarino artfully layers skirts over pants, experiments with color and length, and adds inventive twists to traditional silhouettes, rethinking the boundaries of gendered fashion. He posits a softer side to men’s fashion.
In testing the traditional ideas of men’s fashion, Glarino demonstrates not only creativity but also technical mastery. His solihiya designs, inspired by his childhood home, show this expertise well. Reminiscent of the intricate backrests of rocking chairs, decorative screens, and ornate sideboards found in many Filipino houses, Solihiya involves weaving thin strands of rattan into sunburst patterns. In his atelier, Glarino and his team adapt this traditional craft onto clothing. The pattern finds itself on the front of his barongs, while also being utilized to craft large maze-like vests. It’s an ingenious way to reimagine a traditional weave.
It’s not surprising the designer learned his technical know-how from the industry’s best. After a stint in Abu Dhabi, Glarino enrolled in a fashion school in Manila. Midway through his studies, he secured a position with Albert Andrada, a favorite among Philippine pageant circles. During a competition, Jaggy crossed paths with knitwear expert Lulu Tan Gan, who generously sponsored his education at the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London. Following his tenure at Saint Martins, he earned a coveted spot at London Fashion Week with the assistance of Filipino-American designer Josie Natori and jewelry designer Ann Ong. Participating in Ternocon in 2020, the designer had the opportunity to learn from Filipiniña designers Lesley Mobo and Ivarluski Aseron. It’s through their mentorship that he cultivated “a deep appreciation for the history and cultural significance” of local textiles and national costumes.
Glarino, who has showcased his designs in both London and Tokyo, admits to once feeling pressured by global standards. “It never really felt like it was 110 percent me,” he says about his previous work. During the pandemic, he took a pause, allowing himself the space to reassess his design identity. He asked himself some important questions: “Why should I be ashamed of how I grew up? Why should I be ashamed of my being Filipino?”
His journey as a designer goes beyond professional milestones—it’s deeply intertwined with his own self-discovery and identity. For most of his career, he remembers being closed off about his childhood. “My upbringing was not something I was really comfortable discussing. I wasn’t comfortable telling people stories about it,” he admits.“Fashion is more of a make-believe world for me. It’s luxurious. It’s beautiful. And my life in General Santos, it was not actually glamorous at all.”
Glarino’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection shows the result of his introspective process. “When I was trying to think about the collection, I asked my parents to send me a whole bunch of photos from home,” he explains. “I had to flip one photo at a time and then look into the details.” Memories flooded back as he gazed at the images: his familiar coffee thermoses, the comforting kumot [blanket] where he once slept, the bustling kitchen where he played, the vibrant karinderya [an eatery] that his mom owned, and his dad captured returning from the market laden with bags of groceries. They make up the past life he lived in General Santos.
“Why should I be ashamed of how I grew up? Why should I be ashamed of my being Filipino?”
The collection’s kumot print clothing emerged as one of his most recognizable creations. The vibrant plaid evokes a certain nostalgia that many Filipinos can relate to. To him, the design’s reception has reinforced the significance of embracing his cultural heritage and personal identity.
By celebrating the familiarity of daily life, Glarino’s designs have resonated deeply with many Filipinos. “At the end of the day, it’s my clothes, but it’s really about how the wearer reflects on and responds to the designs that matter,” he says adding that he considers it a privilege to share his personal experiences through his designs, allowing wearers to form intimate connections with his work. This shared interpretation creates a sense of belonging, particularly for Filipinos who find comfort in their clothing as a reminder of home.
Since the release of his last collection, the designer has been thinking deeply about the future of his brand. Glarino has worked mostly in custom wear, but he wants to establish himself more in ready-to-wear.
“As creative, I think I need to detach from work sometimes and make sure that the engine is running without me in it,” he explains. The appeal of ready-to-wear lies in its efficiency. Once designs are finalized, they can be easily reproduced. This makes his work more accessible, too. Beyond ready-to-wear, he’s also thinking about how to enrich the storytelling in his menswear.” The designer says he’s seeing more experimentation in men’s fashion. “You can wear skirts, dresses, whatever you want. It’s more of a way of self-expression.”
When asked about the release date of his upcoming collection, the designer reveals, “I’m actually looking at late next year.” Until then, he’ll be studying his past lives for inspiration, though more realistically, he’ll be releasing more ready-to-wear. It’s a beautiful thing when a designer doubles as a storyteller. That’s the case with Jaggy. He sees clothing as things that can speak and that’s why they draw people in.
By DANIELLE RAMOS. Photographs by BORGY ANGELES. Editor: DANYL GENECIRAN. Makeup: Booyah Mocorro. Hair: Miggy Carbonilla. Model: Julian Rodriguez. Producer: Anz Hizon. Photographer’s Assistants: Pao Mendoza, Rojan Maguyon. Stylist’s Assistants: Neil de Guzman, Summer Untalan.
