From left to right: Filipino American fashion designer Anthony Cruz Legarda; Mrs. Miriam Ferrer; Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer; and KalayaanSF Committee Chair Conrad Calalang. (Michael Hruska photo)
SAN FRANCISCO, USA – Filipino American fashion designer Anthony Cruz Legarda paid homage to Philippine independence and to the Philippine pineapple fabric or piña—in a fashion show organized by The Hinabi Project and the KalayaanSF Committee at the San Francisco Filipino Cultural Center, SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District on 25 June 2022.
Philippine Consul General Neil Ferrer and Mrs. Miriam Ferrer led the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco in joining the event titled “Piña Couture: An Anthony Legarda 30-Year Piña Collection Retrospective”, which marks the first KalayaanSF event and the first Filipino fashion show held in the San Francisco Bay Area since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Joining Consul General and Mrs. Ferrer were Deputy Consul General Raquel Solano and Vice Consul Adrian Baccay.
In his remarks, Consul General Ferrer said that the initiatives of The Hinabi Project such as the fashion show “are important as these help Filipinos rediscover the rich customs and traditions of their forebears, and give Filipino Americans a source of pride for their ancestral culture and heritage.”
Consul General Ferrer also congratulated Cruz Legarda for his efforts in promoting Filipino-inspired haute couture in the United States. “His passion for turning authentic, natural and handwoven Philippine textiles into modern wear has brought him to some of the global fashion capitals such as New York City and Rome,” the Philippine Consul General said.
According to Consul General Ferrer, fashion can become a beautiful expression and representation of Philippine history and culture around the globe. “Two of the Philippines’ National Artists, Ramon Valera and the recently inducted Salvacion Lim-Higgins, were groundbreaking fashion designers who brought the terno to worldwide recognition that Filipinos can be proud of,” the Philippine Consul General said.
“As we celebrate the life’s work of Anthony Cruz Legarda, may this fashion show and gala encourage Filipinos and Americans alike to support Philippine indigenous fashion not only for its aesthetic appeal and cultural significance, but also for the sustainable livelihood that could be created for thousands of Filipino producers, farmers, artisans and designers back home,” Consul General Ferrer further said.
The fashion show showcased Cruz Legarda’s collection of modern piña fashion wear, incorporating natural and handwoven pineapple fabrics into distinctive American apparel, as well as modernizing luxurious ethnic cloth for the eco-fashion world. The show also featured Philippine-themed hand-painted piña wear from Filipino children within the autism spectrum, supported by the San Francisco-based Autism Hearts Foundation.
Cruz Legarda is involved with CustomMade Crafts Center in the Philippines, whose mission is to promote and expand the market for fairly traded and sustainable Philippine indigenous handicrafts that respect traditions. He has also partnered with the Philippine Textile Research Institute in the development of innovative Philippine fabrics.
Unique to the Philippines, the piña is an extraordinary textile made by weaving the fibers of the leaves of the red pineapple plant or pinyang pula. This light, airy fabric is perfectly suitable to the Philippines’ hot tropical climate.
During the Spanish colonial era, Philippine-made piña textiles were coveted in Europe and considered worthy gifts to give to royals such as Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and King Alfonso XIII of Spain. In recent history, the piña-made Barong Tagalog was worn by world leaders such as U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Donald Trump during the Philippines’ hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders Meeting in 1996 and 2015, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in 2017. END
