JC Buendia Returns to the Runway with a Collection About Movement, Memory, and the Modern Woman

For Red Charity Gala 2026, the veteran Filipino designer draws on East and Southeast Asian silhouettes, three cinematic muses, and a playlist that helped shape his 45-piece collection.

In the early stages of designing his new collection, Julius Caesar “JC” Buendia would set his playlist to loop while sketching, draping, and going about his nighttime routine. The vision that emerged of models walking beneath the moonlight struck him; not only for its cinematic quality, but because it carried something that has subtly defined his work for decades: movement. The belief that clothes can take up space, and complement rather than compromise the wearer.

“This collection actually came to mind when I attended an event. And I noticed that a lot of women couldn’t move in their dresses,” he tells Vogue. “I didn’t see them sitting down and having dinner and having fun. So I want to present a different form of luxury.”

In 2019, Buendia showcased a collection of A-line tops and dresses with body-skimming coats and trousers, inspired by the heroine of his favorite series Outlander. In 2024, he dressed the company of Ballet Philippines for the production Limang Daan, balancing function with finesse for the stage. Now, he builds on his practice as the featured designer of this year’s Red Charity Gala, an annual fundraiser whose proceeds benefit the Assumption HS 81 Foundation, the Hope for Lupus Foundation, and the Philippine Red Cross. 

Taking place on October 3 at The Peninsula Manila, the event’s 14th edition arrives as Buendia approaches his 40th year in fashion. Since entering the industry in 1987, the veteran designer has dressed Philippine presidents, contributed to revitalizing the terno, and developed his signature through “modern classics,” using clean lines and relaxed yet polished construction that draws from Filipino heritage and both Western and Eastern cinema.

For his latest showcase, Buendia leans into the latter by nodding to traditional garments from East and Southeast Asia. “You don’t see actual forms of the áo dài or the cheongsam, but you see them in the silhouettes and the details, [and] they’re not costumes,” he explains. Viewers can see echoes of these influences across tunic shapes married with precise tailoring, along with slit dresses and an abundance of soft fabrics that emphasize fluidity, femininity, and grace. 

When work on the collection started early this year, Buendia put a pause on accepting new clients to focus his creativity and allow it to flow more freely. This meant repeatedly listening to his playlist, of which he names his top three songs: Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” from the 1983 war drama of the same name; the theme song of the historical fantasy series Outlander, adapted from an 18th-century Celtic folk tune; and the ’80s synthpop hit “Blue Monday” by New Order, which defined the era of Buendia’s early career.

That period of his life introduced him to the women he regards as the collection’s muses. Chief among them, Tina Chow, a model, jewelry designer, and philanthropist known for pioneering what Karl Lagerfeld called “minimal chic,” as her style involved mixing flea market finds with haute couture pieces, and blending Japanese sensibilities with American pop culture.

“Back [in the ’80s], everything was in excess. But then, Tina Chow presented a look that’s different from what the others were wearing. She was into relaxed luxury, and I think it also became part of my DNA as I evolved as a designer,” Buendia expresses.

Next, he cites Gong Li, the Chinese-born Singaporean actress known for her roles in films like Raise the Red Lantern, whose visual language served as an inspiration. The story of the 1991 period drama centers on women’s oppression within a feudal and patriarchal household, but what Buendia sees is an invitation to explore the opposite: what freedom for women looks like today, in the context of our Asian upbringings in an increasingly globalized world.

What Does JC Buendia’s 45-Piece Red Charity Gala Collection Include?

The designer’s penchant for film also seeps into the narrative arc of the show, as the 45-piece collection unfolds over three interconnected suites: opening with daywear, then transitioning into soft, sheer “dreamy” fabrics, and closing with dramatic evening attire suited for the opera. Against a palette of black, blush, and robin egg blue, the storytelling extends through beadwork, egret embroidery, Art Deco patterns, floral appliqué, and pearl accessories by Jewelmer, paired on the runway with Doreen Odvina matte and metallic heels.

There’s a sense of catharsis in seeing it all come together. Buendia recalls months of working in a trancelike state, moved by Sakamoto’s romantic and Asian pentatonic piano melody, which formed the perfect atmosphere for the Filipino artist’s creations. Contemplative and propulsive, the song became something he could return to in a time filled with grief, as the process coincided with his mother’s passing in March.

“At first I didn’t know how to move forward, but a friend of mine said that when her mother died, everything she did was dedicated to her mom, and so that was what I did,” Buendia shares. “I would always think that this is for my mommy. This will make her proud.”

The love that Buendia holds is felt in his meticulous craftsmanship, and in the level of care he shows for the patrons who will wear his pieces. “I hope that with this collection, women will feel more comfortable with their body,” he says, conveying a wish for women to move through the world with the strength and warmth that his mother embodied since he was a child.

Four decades into his career, the designer celebrates how far he’s come, but also takes delight in the fact that his work still teaches him new things about himself. Through his 2026 fashion show, he finds a renewed sense of joy and gratitude in the craft, recognizing its potential to create new dialogues between cultures and expand on what Philippine fashion can be.

“I was feeling burned out,” Buendia admits. “But doing this collection made me realize that I really enjoy doing this. And that fashion design is the most beautiful profession there is.”