Cover Inside Bench’s Holiday 2026 collection at Bench Fashion Week Manila
Inside Bench’s Holiday 2026 collection at Bench Fashion Week Manila
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From high-octane streetwear collaborations to romantic resort wear and architectural tailoring, here is everything that went down on the Holiday 2026 runway at The Space in One Ayala
Against the city’s concrete backdrop, Bench Fashion Week Holiday 2026 opens up a reimagined way to dress for the Philippine holiday season. Set at The Space in One Ayala, Bench transformed the venue into a chic interpretation of industrial design for a two-day presentation of new collections from Suyen Corporation brands alongside up-and-coming and established designers.
For Holiday 2026, Korean brand 8seconds showcased bundled-up looks tailored for the rainy holiday season. The lineup features cosy knitwear cardigans and structured rain jackets paired with a youthful spin on smart-casual slacks and skirts. Alternatively, the collection pairs delicate tulle dresses with edgy leather jackets and high-heeled boots, delivering a fresh twist on street-style cool.
Urban Revivo elevates sophistication with a chic play on neutrals and essentials. Featuring leg-baring miniskirts and tailored shorts, the brand proves that cooler weather is never a limiting factor in the tropics. Patterned garments also stood out—most notably gingham-print dresses and pinstriped tops.
True to its name, Cotton On offers comfortable yet elevated holiday options. The collection showcases low-cut necklines, bright yellow halter tops and classic long-sleeved cotton pieces. The styling emphasises light layering without excess bulk: tank tops are styled over baby tees, while soft cardigans are tied around the waist to add a relaxed drape.
Jameson Blake walks the runway at Bench Fashion Week Holiday 2026
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Closing the brand showcases were Bench Originals and Bench Active, delivering a high-energy finale. Bench Originals presented preppy streetwear casual looks with a star-studded cast, including Kyle Echari and Jameson Blake. Blurring the line between performance wear and street style, Bench Active presented sleek leggings, vibrant windbreakers and tailored track jackets, modelled by stars including Tatler Most Stylish 2026 honouree Alden Richards.
The focus then shifted to the Bench Fashion Week debut of Renée De Guzman and her label, R.STUDIOS. Her latest collection, Paloma, draws inspiration from Pablo Picasso’s 1957 Pigeons series. Echoing Picasso’s meditative break from tradition, De Guzman translates that freedom into pastel colours, draped silhouettes and unconventional fabrics that resemble brushstrokes on canvas. While many garments feature loose cuts, the use of silk, plaid and light feathers introduces a refined femininity. Embracing texture and playfulness, Paloma offers eye-catching details such as crooked ties, feather embellishments and cheerful floral prints.
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R. STUDIOS presents its Holiday 2026 collection
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Next, Bryan Peralta referenced NASA’s 1970s Voyager Golden Record. His collection, The Golden Record, bridges a longing for cosmic futures with Peralta’s obsession with nudibranchs. The resulting runway was a psychedelic parade of vibrant escapism. Peralta translated the alien hues and frilled gills of these sea creatures into an optimistic palette of neon corals, iridescent teals, electric purples and shock pinks filtered through a 1970s lens. Menswear-inspired tailoring was subverted with sweeping wide-legged taffeta trousers, sheer silk scarves trailing like tentacles and digital prints mimicking bioluminescent ocean patterns. The looks were punctuated by custom 3D-printed eyewear hugging the face, serving a joyous celebration of maximalism.
Bryan Peralta for Bench Fashion Week Holiday 2026
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Meanwhile, Cebu-based master designer Edwin Ao returned with Chlorophyll Hexagons: The Body in Impermanence. Approaching fashion as architecture in motion, Ao’s collection meditates on the human body as a fluid entity evolving through time, memory and experience. Prints were derived from deconstructed street imagery captured on his phone during travels. Ao offered a lineup of tailored jackets, pants, dresses and shirts with technical construction: diagonal-buttoned collars, drooped, broad-shouldered jackets and raw-hemmed dress pants cut to the fit of biker shorts. Other pants were weighted at the hem to sway fluidly on the runway. “I wanted it to be a bit more relaxed, not restrictive,” Ao explained. At the heart of this poetry lies solar printing, which uses sunlight and chlorophyll to leave delicate imprints on fabric, celebrating the transience of transformation.
Read also: How Tatler Most Stylish 2026 honourees wear style their own way
A look from Edwin Ao’s Holiday 2026 collection presented at Bench Fashion Week Manila
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Next, the Kashieca x Lucy Torres-Gomez show offered a serene masterclass in timeless romanticism. Long celebrated as an icon of classic Filipina elegance, Torres-Gomez focused on grace and quiet luxury tailored for tropical festivities. The show opened with tailored wide-leg trousers paired with sheer embroidered organza blouses in soft creams, blushes and botanical greens. Versatile silk-lace tops, cotton-linen blends, A-line midi dresses and soft knit wraps led the presentation, before leaning into rich midnight blue and crimson velvets in relaxed co-ord sets. Minimal styling—delicate hair ribbons, gold hoops and low heels—kept the focus on clean cuts and thoughtful fabrics.
Models showcase the Kashieca by Lucy Torres-Gomez collection
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Finally, Chris Nick brought early 2000s allure back to the runway with an all-denim collaboration for Bench Originals. “It always starts with an era, then music and then the clothes come,” Nick noted. Tapping into Y2K aesthetics, Nick presented low-rise denim, classic straight cuts, exaggerated flares and slogan shirts. These pieces are then paired with tailored black jackets, leather accents and sleek satin layering. Leaning into his trusted toolkit of wool, satin, leather and denim, Nick fused high-fashion edge with everyday wearability. “Bench is a great outlet for the general public to have access to something more premium,” the designer observed. Bringing the collection’s bold attitude to life, Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee, drag sensation Marina Summers and 2025 Tatler Most Stylish honoree Max Collins walked the catwalk to close the presentation.
Marina Summers at Bench Fashion Week Manila
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Karis Tsang serves as a Junior Associate Editor at Tatler Philippines. She tells stories at the intersection of high society, local arts and pop culture. A UST journalism alum, she has a knack for finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. When she’s not typing furiously against a deadline, she’s likely getting lost in a theatre, overanalysing style or planning her next creative rabbit hole.
