Beyond the ‘banaca’: Ditta Sandico celebrates four decades of her impact on Philippine fashion

During the launch, the audience was treated to intimate excerpts from the book, read by a distinguished panel that included Lopez, Tselishchev, beauty queen and wellness advocate Cory Quirino, and Janina Santos, a promising designer currently working under Sandico’s eponymous fashion house. Surrounding the guests are artworks by Sandico, while her iconic fabrics hang over the museum’s staircase.

For Marquez, the book’s title is a multi-layered reflection of Sandico’s enduring legacy.

“The title symbolises the banaca wrap fabric that Ditta introduced to the market,” Medina-Marquez explained to the captivated audience. “It also encapsulates important years of her career—as a designer, as a visionary, as an environmentalist and as a future-ready artist. I thank Ditta for the opportunity of writing about her journey.”

While the fashion world knows Sandico as a fierce innovator and an environmental champion, the afternoon’s most poignant moment revealed the woman behind the brand. Taking the stage to deliver a message about the third chapter of the book, Sandico’s only son, David Sandico Ong, offered a remarkably candid and heartwarming tribute to his mother.

Admitting that public speaking wasn’t his forte, David chose instead to speak purely from the heart, reflecting on the daunting year of 1985—a time when Sandico was simultaneously birthing a family and a fashion empire.

Read more: Ditta Sandico on her journey in the arts and its many facets

“Our protagonist during 1985 was given the challenge of birthing, unfortunately, a son first,” David joked affectionately. “And that challenge was mitigated by her delicate balance of handling a fashion empire where she does it today with all smiles and a gleaming heart. I imagine myself during that moment, where all the troubles in life would have to be crumbling down: starting a family... so all those challenges within, she was able to bring about the best in her.”

Looking directly at his mother, he added, “Hi Mum, we love you very much. Thank you for introducing this to the world and bringing our country to greater heights. With our local communities and with your assistance for this fabric.”

When the designer herself finally took the stage after a stunning fashion show showcasing the structural elegance of her signature wraps, the room fell into a reverent hush. For Sandico, It’s a Wrap is not merely a portfolio of beautiful garments; it is a labour of love that tested her resilience over four challenging years of production.

“It’s been four years since we started on this book project. Four difficult years, but we made it,” Sandico shared, her voice brimming with emotion. “The book is really about a tapestry of friendships. For friendships that lasted for more than 40 years. For the different weavers that I’ve met. The different places that I had to go to, whether locally or internationally.”

She took the time to express her profound gratitude to her family, explicitly dedicating the work to the “backbone of her existence”: her son David and his wife Monica, and her daughter Mirei and her husband Matteo Monticelli.

Crucially, Sandico directed her deepest honours to the invisible hands that make her structural masterpieces possible, whose representatives were present at the event. “To the weaving communities and artisans who continue to inspire us with their resilience, beauty, and spirit,” she stated. “May your spirit continue to live on through all of us.”

Her forty-year journey was not a straight line, but a series of artistic permutations, defined by an endless quest for the perfect textile medium.

“In my experience, it took me so many years to find myself as I’ve gone through several permutations,” Sandico revealed. She recounted her early days experimenting with the sturdy, geometric weaves of abel Iloco, before transitioning to the delicate, sheer elegance of piña lino (pineapple linen). Ultimately, she found her ultimate muse in banaca—a masterful blend of banana and abaca fibres that possesses the unique ability to hold structural shapes while remaining exquisitely light.

Today, the banaca wrap is synonymous with the Ditta brand. “Banaca is a brand and I think everyone should have one,” she noted confidently. “It’s important that we all have our own branding so that international people would know who we are.”

This evolution is beautifully mirrored in her newly rebranded logo: a butterfly insignia. For Sandico, the butterfly is more than just a delicate insect; it is a profound symbol of metamorphosis, growth, and, most importantly, freedom.

As the launch drew to a close, the lingering question on everyone’s mind was: What comes next? If It’s a Wrap sounds like a conclusion, Sandico was quick to correct that misconception. The book is merely a milestone, a marker of past achievements that paves the runway for the next generation. Sandico is already looking ahead, actively mentoring young talent to ensure the sustainability of her craft.

“I have been training a team of designers,” she shared proudly, pointing to Santos, who is currently taking the helm of the brand’s made-to-order dresses and bridal gowns. While Sandico’s name will forever be tied to the iconic banaca wrap, she recognises the importance of passing the torch.

For Sandico, the future of Philippine fashion is blindingly bright. It lies in the hands of the next generation of artisans, the continuous innovation of indigenous fabrics, and the timeless beauty of local weaves.

“We should be proud of who we are, and not just in the local scene,” Sandico urged the crowd, a final rallying cry from a pioneer who has dedicated her life to the loom. “Proud of our fabric. Proud of our country. The title says ‘It’s a wrap,’ but it hasn’t ended there. We have a future.”

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