The provincial government of Ilocos Norte has organized a fashion show featuring candidates in the Miss Ilocos Norte 2024 pageant will wear creations of home-grown designers.
The event, held May 15, showcased the entries of 23 local designers reinventing the traditional Kimona using what the locals call “inabel” textiles.
Xavier Ruiz, officer-in-charge of the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office, underscored the importance of continuously conducting the fashion show for Ilokano designers.
“It’s our way of supporting our creatives, in this case those who belong to fashion and dressmaking, but more importantly it’s preserving the art of taking our traditional garments or attires. This has always been a popular activity under Miss Ilocos Norte and because of this activity we were able to discover new talents in this phase and it’s been growing over the years,” he said.
Almario Cacnio, who crafted a sheer kimono, accented with a bib and partnered with alampay with a binakol design copped the first prize. His entry featured an A-line skirt with a cut showing the enaguas, worn by Miss Nueva Era.
Brad Shilver, who tailored the traditional kimona with a hand-painted bougainvillea design worn by Miss Badoc, took the second place.
Third placer was Bryan Macayanan whose designed of an intricate embroidery of clay pots in a modern and artistic fashion which was worn by Miss San Nicolas.
“We have continued to do this not just for Miss Ilocos Norte, but because technically, this competition is not judged as part of Miss Ilocos Norte, it is judged on its own as a design activity,” Ruiz said.
More than just a pageant, Miss Ilocos Norte has evolved into a platform where the creativity of Ilokano designers flourish and gain recognition.
Their designs were worn publicly during the coronation night on May 18 at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena.
