Cover Asia's Most Stylish 2024 honouree Carl Jan Cruz
Asia's Most Stylish 2024 honouree Carl Jan Cruz
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Designer and Asia’s Most Stylish 2024 honouree Carl Jan Cruz champions traditional techniques while staying true to his vision
Carl Jan Cruz—CJ, as he is more commonly known—is the man of the zeitgeist. A champion of Filipino artistry and local design, he is a London-educated designer with a robust background in the couture world. He was an intern at Celine, back when the House was under Phoebe Philo. He wanted to be a doctor as a young boy, but he “couldn’t handle all that blood.” So, he set his sights on a different route and studied menswear at the London College of Fashion. “Though,” he quips, “I do love those white lab coats by Maison Margiela.”
He established the label in 2015 shortly upon returning home to Manila. It is headquartered in 45 Bayani, a low-rise building nestled in the less cosmopolitan side of Taguig City, home to both his showroom and atelier. The latter, on the third floor, is a pilgrimage site for local fashion enthusiasts, where products are displayed on chrome racks and glass cabinets. Downstairs, Cruz’s team works their magic on an army of sewing machines. There’s barely a threshold where this setting ends and the Carl Jan Cruz identity begins.
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Above Carl Jan Cruz is a London-educated designer based in Manila (Photo: Koji Arboleda)
Carl Jan Cruz is a London-educated designer based in Manila (Photo: Koji Arboleda)
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The brand is perhaps best known for its spin on commonplace, threadbare aspects of Filipino life. Ready-to-wear pieces fall into three ranges: Piques, Wardrobe Denims and Ribs. The first of them, Piques, are breathable, pliable and suited for tropical weather—articles drawn from quintessentially Filipino nostalgia that are refined, refashioned then reborn. The denims are popular picks: biker jackets, cuffed jeans and boxy midi skirts characterised by chambray lining and sturdy composition. The charming Rib series consists of versatile, sack-like bags Frankenstein-stitched together in twill and poplin.
Sentimentality is the beating heart of the label’s identity, which guides its mission of spinning memory into substance. A benign concept of pambahay, or home wear, is turned on its head, as the Carl Jan Cruz vision transforms a simple wife beater tank top into a highly-coveted piece, made of fine jersey fabric imbued with a distinct home-worn feel.
“It’s definitely arisen from that shared feeling we have with our culture. It has conjugated down to what we may feel about a t-shirt or a pair of jeans,” said Cruz, soft-voiced and with a gentle manner. “[The act of turning] feelings into something tangible has been in my head since I was very young.”
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Even those who are not very well versed in contemporary Filipino fashion can point out a pair of Cruz’s wardrobe denims from a mile away. An unprecedented “hype” surrounds his name. This stems from the singular vision he cultivated at the beginning of his journey as he developed his signature style.
“I was stubborn, bullish and aggressive at the beginning,” he recalls. “I feel like that was necessary since I was able to flesh myself out and work on my personal theory of how I think clothes should be.”
This year marks the first time the Carl Jan Cruz brand is being designed collaboratively as a house, a shift in the narrative that solidifies his commitment to his team and creative partners. He mentions that he tapped into the team’s different niches and adds, “I can’t take full credit other than the fact that I’m a creative director”. It involves editing works upon works of the 30 creatives under his leadership, something he did not envision for himself as a designer at the beginning.
“Taking on the role of a brand owner and creative director requires me to assert myself. If I didn’t, we’d start producing very inconsistent, misleading collections.”
Above Models pose in various pieces by Carl Jan Cruz (Photo: Koji Arboleda)
Above A campaign shot from the reissue of the Carl Jan Cruz Denim Collection (Photo: Renzo Navarro)
Models pose in various pieces by Carl Jan Cruz (Photo: Koji Arboleda)
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One of Cruz’s most recent projects was the International Interbarangay 2023 collection, a company-wide collaboration in partnership with Silverlens Gallery. It was celebrated as a marriage of traditional Filipino technique with modern design, combined with the gallery’s commitment to innovative art. The opening event saw familiar faces in the creative community pouring into the space, from photographer BJ Pascual to public relations maven Bea Ledesma and designers Prince Padilla and Jude Macasinag.
There’s truth in the fact that the brand’s emphasis on community involvement has helped propel it to the upper echelons of contemporary Filipino fashion. Friends and colleagues are tagged in various campaigns. On the official Carl Jan Cruz webpage, model and fellow designer Jo Ann Bitagcol, ethereal and statuesque, is seen decked out in structured denim, lensed by longtime collaborator Renzo Navarro. Meanwhile, Toyo Eatery’s profile in this year’s edition of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants features chef Jordy Navarra in the abaca silk ‘Sando Barong.’
It’s a summation of the Carl Jan Cruz code that forgoes cumbersome silhouettes of traditional Filipiniana for a new credo of Filipino style. At the same time, reverence is paid in allusions to heritage. He has not only created a brand that resonates with the times, but signals the arrival of a new narrative built on memory and modernity.
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About
Julianna has been interested in leading a literary life since she first read Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess at eight. Before working with Tatler, she was an archive intern at The Center for Fiction in Brooklyn, New York. She is a textbook Pisces who devotes most of her spare time to her crochet projects, watching classic films, and going through her never-ending pile of unread books. She studied creative writing, global literature and art history at Sarah Lawrence College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2022. Toni Morrison, Nora Ephron, Clarice Lispector and Jia Tolentino are among her all-time favourite writers.
Work
Julianna writes about fashion, beauty, sustainability, and the arts. She is always keen on conducting interviews with talented women who are changing the game in their respective fields.
For event invites and story leads, hit her up at julianna.cabili@tatlerasia.com
