MANILA, Philippines – Marking the birth of the modern environmental movement, Earth Day is celebrated every April 22 across the globe to encourage action and address environmental problems including climate change.
In the Philippines, Quezon City stands out as a leading model in embodying this spirit, especially under the leadership of Mayor Joy Belmonte. Having received the United Nations’ “Champions of the Earth” award in 2023, she has implemented a strong eco-driven campaign and policy, including the banning of single-use plastics and packaging materials.
“We are once again reminded to reflect, not just on the beauty of our environment, but on how our choices, no matter how small, are deeply connected to the planet we call home,” said Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte during her remarks. ”We hold the power to change the future. Sa Quezon City, pinaninindigan natin ito (In Quezon City, we stand by this).”
This year, in solidarity with Earth Day’s mission, a week-long series of activities was organized by the city to promote mindful consumption and sustainability awareness. The highlight of this celebration is one of the most innovative and eco-conscious fashion events in the country: the RetaShow.
First launched in 2024, RetaShow is a fashion runway and competition headed by the Quezon City Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department (CCESD). At its core, it aims to showcase sustainable fashion choices by inviting local designers to craft eco-friendly clothing, raising awareness about the environmental impact of the fashion industry and “fast fashion” — where mass production technologies use low-quality material to produce imitations of high-end designs, resulting in tons of fabric wastes in landfills, and a rise in the use of chemicals and plastics for transport and retail.
This year’s Retashow took place Wednesday, April 25, extending its push towards sustainable fashion, to kidswear. While the production of children’s clothing generally requires less material, children grow, which means parents have to keep on buying new clothes. The RetaShow-Kidswear edition then minimizes environmental impact, shifting the public further away from fast fashion, and towards a greener, more circular economy.
Reimagining clothing through sustainable choices
Carrying over the same criteria from its debut season, the CCESD continues to challenge participating designers in creating wearable pieces made from at least 70% recycled textiles and fabrics.
The designs are judged according to the following criteria: Disenyo at Orihinalidad (Design and Originality; 35 points), “Beyond Green,” or the ethical and sustainable choices incorporated (35 points), and Wearability and Feasibility (30 points).
The 20 participants of this year’s competition went in many different directions to tick all the boxes, reimagining production processes and crafting artistic garments with high-end aesthetic qualities, all while still maintaining the utility of clothing.
The mixing and matching of materials is perhaps the most notable trend this year. Here, different types of used fabrics are patched together in order to create different textures, unique patterns, interesting shapes, and new and exciting color combinations.
Upcycling techniques are also utilized, where designers take different articles of clothing and deconstruct them, transforming them into new pieces with a new purpose — pants into jackets, neckties into skirts, and shirts into bags.
The silhouettes of Filipino cultural attire are also an observable trend in the showcase. Some recreated the traditional pañuelo and mestiza dress, while others incorporated ethnically significant garments such as the Mindanawon malong.
But the recurring theme that underpins all of the designs is the message that each of their respective designers had the duty to impart as RetaShow participants — a message that we must strive towards a more eco-centric future, by making sustainable fashion choices.
Here’s how some of the participating designers executed these themes and trends in their implementation of sustainability practices with utmost creativity:
The art of sustainable fashion
Ma. Joy Pauline Castillano, a student from Barangay Talipapa and one of the winners, employed an abundance of patterns and textures, but still created a cohesive look.
With their extensive use of upcycled patches, neckties, and chains — and even a vest that transforms into a bag — Castillano created a maximalist street style look for kids that shows us that, as what’s written on the back says, “fashion shouldn’t cost the earth.”
John Michael Junio’s design “Childhood Dreams” emulated Barbie with its vibrant color palette. Junio’s inspiration comes from memories of his young self, dressing up Barbie dolls using scrap fabric. “Childhood Dreams” experimented with silhouette by patching together brightly colored pieces of recycled cloth, hitting the mark in both form and function.
A designer and entrepreneur from Barangay Commonwealth, Nard Patrick Redoble draws inspiration from the nation’s girl group BINI’s hit anthem “Pantropiko.” Redoble sew together old, torn patches of fabric into a silhouette that is distinctly “BINI” — with its vibrant energy and fun, danceable style. Another one of the winners, this design proves that repurposing clothing can be a source of pride.
Proud housewife and mother Evelyn Rocela’s design is built on connection — connecting together pieces of cloth cut from different fabric-based products to create a modern mestiza dress silhouette. Drawing inspiration from her strong bond with her family, Rocela’s design reminds us that there is strength in fostering community and connection.
Another winner, Nichole Samson, a fashion student and designer from Barangay Apolonio, created a design that drew inspiration from “pop art” — not just in terms of its vibrant and eye-catching visuals, but also its use of common, everyday objects like scrap fabric.
Returning to the RetaShow stage, Hazel Roldan — a designer from Barangay Batasan Hills — emerged as one of the winners of the competition. Roldan created a modern take on the traditional pañuelo that was repurposed from old flour sacks.
The winning design of Katherine Mae Anonuevo — a lawyer, mother, and advocate from Barangay Sikatuna Village — was inspired by the Mountain Dew plastic bottle. She took the brand’s recognizable color scheme, substituting its trademark colors with distinctly Filipino patterns and prints.
Making a comeback on the RetaShow stage, social entrepreneur and fashion accessories designer Neil Bryan Capistrano of Barangay Bagong Pag-asa — the final winner — painted a picture of Filipino childhood. Capistrano drew inspiration from a child’s doodle of daisies, and weaved that dream into indigenous geometric patterns.
RetaShow participants and winners represent creativity and innovation in implementing sustainable fashion practices — marrying artistry with purpose. But with this year’s edition, extending this advocacy towards kidswear widens the impact of the positive effects of sustainable fashion: environmental responsibility, eco-conscious production and consumption, and a more circular economy.
The fashion industry is a significant contributor to environmental pollution. “The fashion industry,” according to Belmonte, “is one of the biggest contributors to pollution and climate change,” citing how fabric scraps contribute to wastewater generation during the production process. The wastewater generated can contain dyes, chemicals, and other pollutants.
“And over 60% of clothing today is made from synthetic fibers,” Belmonte continued, “which, when washed, release microplastics into our oceans. Kinakain ito ng mga isda, at sa huli, tayo rin ang apektado (Fish consume this, and in the end, we are the ones affected).”
Promoting durable and repairable designs, the use of recycled fabrics, upcycling, and buying secondhand or vintage clothing are all small choices Filipinos can make to move closer towards sustainable fashion. – Rappler.com
Bea Gatmaytan is a Rappler intern studying Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
Kevin Ian Lampayan is a Rappler intern studying Bachelor of Arts in Literary and Cultural Studies at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.