Building an enduring legacy: Patis Tesoro’s ‘Filipiniana is Forever’ benefit fashion show

Tesoro is recognised as a cultural trailblazer who, throughout her five-decade-long career, has been revered for her distinct Filipiniana designs. Her dedication to the craft has been instrumental in preserving Philippine heritage, most notably with the revival of piña fabric in 1986. This seminal work expanded to championing other crafts, such as natural dyes, hand weaving of Philippine tropical fabrics, embroidery and needlework, which she emphasises are facing demise.

Her work is deeply intertwined with the empowerment of women from artisanal communities. As Liechtenstein noted, Tesoro’s contribution to empowering these women is clear in her practice: “Her team, for example, is made up of 90 per cent women.” This focus on female-led craftsmanship, coupled with Tesoro’s lifelong commitment to mentorship and education, is viewed by the Zonta Club as embodying the “hallmarks of empowerment.” Her designs, therefore, are meaningful not just as art, but because her work “brings Filipino artistry, craft and techniques to the next generation, ensuring that it will live on,” Liechtenstein adds.

Read more: Patis Tesoro shows no signs of slowing down in her effort to preserve and promote Filipino design

The collection, aptly named Filipiniana is Forever, is a summary of Tesoro’s life’s work and legacy. The designer, also described as an artist, fashion activist, icon, gardener and champion of Philippine craft, found her initial inspiration in an intimate detail of traditional Filipino dress, which she refers to as “halik sa batok” [kiss on the nape]. She was inspired by the idea of a woman’s nape “subtly peaking from behind a traditional baro or lightweight embroidered blouse.” The designer details that “When you are Filipino, you are attractive when you wear the baro’t saya.” Characteristically, this garment is “folded at the back to show the nape,” which she finds very sensual and, in her design philosophy, an evolving, wearable piece of art.

The collection spans a spectrum of clothing, from everyday wear to formal couture, demonstrating how the Filipiniana morphs to fit the times. It will feature dusters or house dresses—a preferred everyday garment for the fashion icon—that will be elevated via handwoven details, patchwork and hand embroidery. Highlights include the formal Maria Clara gowns, a more elaborate version of the baro’t saya, as well as statement pieces like Kimono jackets inspired by Freddie Mercury and hand-painted barongs.

Tesoro stresses the artisanal nature of her work. “I wanted to emphasise the beauty of handmade things. 95 per cent of the collection is handmade,” she says. The fabrics themselves are a testament to local skill, being handwoven, hand-painted, hand-embroidered, hand-beaded.

The designer’s creative process, with her providing the vision and direction to the collection's campaign, is one of constant motion. Tesoro orchestrates a “rich symphony of colours, textures, patterns” using hand-woven fabrics such as piña, jusi, tropical linens and Indigenous textiles from across the archipelago as her canvas. Her process embraces maximalism, and yet, she knows exactly where and when to pull back.

For Tesoro, fashion is a powerful vessel for identity. 

“As humans, we are naturally drawn to beautiful things, and that includes fashion. We are becoming so globalised. When you look at how everyone dresses on an ordinary day, everyone looks the same!” Tesoro observes. She notes this shift has blurred the lines where dressing for cultural identity is concerned. “We express our identity and even status through clothing.”

In Filipiniana is Forever, she also emphasises a return to craft. “What if we return to handmade things?” she remarks. “Everything is changing so fast now because of technology. And there is a movement of people making technology secondary. They are returning to nature and things made by hand–something that AI can’t touch.”

The designer aims to stress the relationship between the Filipino dress and national identity. She believes “All Filipinos aspire to dress in a sheet handwoven piña or what resembles it,” noting that the country’s “climate and environment necessitate this mode of dress.” Her goal for the show is to display a range of pieces “from daily wear to formal wear, focusing on the craftsmanship and artistry of our people.”

The benefit show will be the first time the Zonta Club of Alabang is “selling tickets for a cause.” All proceeds from the ticket sales will be dedicated to the club’s various projects and initiatives. These critical programmes include a range of services focused on health, education and social welfare: Nanay for Healthy Livers Para kay Baby (prenatal screening for Hepatitis B, newborn and children’s vaccination and educational forums); Saddle Up (equine therapy for underprivileged children undergoing cancer treatment); Pagpapahalaga sa Sarili (symposium and free screening for HPV); Ballet Brigade (dance outreach and sponsorship programme for indigenous children around the country); Dibdib Ko Alaga Ko (year-round educational programs for early breast cancer detection); as well as Gift Giving and a Monthly Food Drive for the Pre School Kids of Tondo School of Joy.

The club’s wider focus is on gender equality, women’s rights and Family Code, among many others, with women’s empowerment informing all of their initiatives. For Liechtenstein, Tesoro “is the very embodiment of this,” and the collaboration translates her “language of love to our audience.”

In her five decades of work, Tesoro has helped shape Philippine fashion and created a lasting impact for countless women artisans and communities. Her ultimate conviction, which serves as the title of her collection and the message of the event, is clear: “Filipiniana is Forever, passed from generation to generation, for as long as we have a country called the Philippines.”

The event, Patis Tesoro’s Filipiniana is Forever, will take place on November 4, 2025, at the Grand Ballroom of Grand Hyatt BGC. Tickets are available via qlickpass.com or by emailing zontaclubofalabang1@gmail.com

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