In November fashion designer Jane Bowler visited the Philippines to participate in the Look of Style awards, here she tells us about her trip: -

 

I was super excited to hear that I had been selected to act as a guest judge at the ‘look of style awards’ in Manila, and even more excited to be offered the chance to talk to the next generation of fashion designers at the School of Fashion and Arts as well as running one of my creative workshops and not to mention showing my SS12 collection on the Catwalk!

 

After what seemed like the longest flight ever, I arrived in Manila.  As soon as I arrived I was struck by how lovely the people were….. what a change from the hustle and bustle of the generally smileless  and chat free world of London.  You don’t have silent tube trains here that’s for sure! Not even chat free awkward lift situations!.. and people actually say hello to people that they don’t know in the street! Yeh! Mad hey?  It was sooo refreshing!

 

After wandering over to meet the team at the British Council, I realised that everyone here were so welcoming.  It always makes things so much easier if the people that you are working with are mega easy to get on with!  I instantly knew that this was going to be a great trip!

 

It was a fantastic experience being on the judging panel of the ‘Look of style awards’.  Every designer had a different story and a totally different approach to sustainable fashion.  I was totally blown away by the fact that some of the designers had no real training, and were self taught or trained by family members!  So humbling and inspiring!   I felt like I was the meany on the panel, grilling the designers about pricing and profit.  Interestingly, this bought up an intriguing discussion amongst me and others during a lovely get together over lunch later that week.  I seriously think that these amazing designers are underselling themselves! Particularly if that want to expand their label and stock internationally.

 

The fashion show showcased all of the designers wonderfully, and announced the winner as Roland Alzate who I also offered a Jane Bowler creative workshop place to when he visits the UK to claim his prize of a summer course at CSM.

 

The fashion show also allowed me to showcase my SS12 collection, which was wonderfully received… I almost felt a tear in my eye! And I never get emotional!

 

Later that week I performed a lecture at SoFa, in the hope that I could inspire the next generation of designers to think about materials and recycling differently.  It seemed to go down a treat! Lots of smiling faces and interesting conversations were to be had at the end of this session, and people said that they felt like they wanted to go away and get designing right away! That’s when I knew that my work there was done!

 

I also ran a creative workshop for a select few students during that day, encouraging designers to think about materials differently, explore the potential of recycled and re-appropriated materials, and transform every days materials and left overs into exciting yet luxurious fashion.  The outcomes were amazing, although I have to admit that a talented and enthusiastic group means that the high standard of work is just inevitable anyway!  Such a fun day! We ended the workshop with a ‘team bowler’ photo, smiles were a plenty!

 

To add to all of this, I also met some great fashion minds ranging form the lovely Sarah from ‘Not just a label’,  Mich Duch, the amazing Milliner and her designer friends who are all based in the Philippines too.  Meeting these lovely ladies for a coffee and a chat back in London is a must!

 

Overall, it was an amazing experience! So inspiring! I have returned to London all refreshed and inspired ready to start the new AW13 collection.