Designer Jaggy Glarino takes control

For me, fashion is more of an imaginary world. It's luxurious. It's beautiful. And my life in General Santos was not at all glamorous.

Jaggy GlarinoThe brand's clothing, woven with personal stories, encourages its wearers to reconsider what it means to be Filipino, to be masculine and to be true to oneself. Growing up in such a masculine environment, the designer reflects on his upbringing in General Santos, a city in southern Mindanao, etched in the Filipino consciousness for its boxing heritage. My dad is actually a boxer. It was an interesting contrast between my mother taking me to the local salon and my father taking me to boxing training.

This duality profoundly influences Glarinos' designs. Through his clothing, he challenges traditional notions of masculinity, offering insight into the complexities of his personal identity and expression. They beg you to consider whether the dichotomy between men's clothing and women's clothing should persist.

Femininity and masculinity are more of a societal box that you have to fit into, he shares. And for me, that doesn't really exist right now. Glarino artfully layers skirts over pants, experiments with color and length, and adds inventive touches to traditional silhouettes, rethinking the boundaries of gendered fashion. It presents a softer side of menswear.

By testing traditional ideas of menswear, Glarino demonstrates not only creativity but also technical mastery. His solihiya creations, inspired by his childhood home, clearly demonstrate this know-how. Reminiscent of the intricate backs of rocking chairs, decorative screens and ornate sideboards found in many Filipino homes, Solihiya involves weaving thin strands of rattan into sunray patterns. In his workshop, Glarino and his team adapt this traditional craft to clothing. The pattern is found on the front of its barongs, while also being used to make large maze-shaped vests. It's an ingenious way to reinvent a traditional weave.

It's no surprise that the designer learned his technical know-how from the best in the industry. After a stint in Abu Dhabi, Glarino enrolled in a fashion school in Manila. Midway through his studies, he got a position with Albert Andrada, a favorite among Filipino pageant circles. During a competition, Jaggy crossed paths with knitwear expert Lulu Tan Gan, who generously sponsored his studies at the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London. After his tenure at Saint Martins, he secured a coveted spot at London Fashion Week with the help of Filipino-American designer Josie Natori and jewelry designer Ann Ong. While attending Ternocon in 2020, the designer had the opportunity to learn from Filipino designers Lesley Mobo and Ivarluski Aseron. It was through their mentorship that he developed a deep appreciation for the history and cultural significance of local textiles and national costumes.

Glarino, who has presented his designs in London and Tokyo, admits to once feeling pressured by global standards. “I never really felt like it was 110 percent me,” he says of his previous work. During the pandemic, he took a break, allowing himself the space to reevaluate his design identity. He asked himself some important questions: Why should I be ashamed of the way I grew up? Why should I be ashamed of being Filipino?

His journey as a designer goes beyond professional stages: it is deeply linked to his own discovery of self and identity. For most of his career, he remembers being withdrawn about his childhood. My upbringing wasn't something I was really comfortable discussing. I wasn't comfortable telling people stories about it, he admits. For me, fashion is more of an imaginary world. It's luxurious. It's beautiful. And my life in General Santos was not at all glamorous.

The Glarinos Spring/Summer 2023 collection shows the result of his introspective process. When I was trying to think about the collection, I asked my parents to send me a bunch of photos from home, he explains. I had to flip one photo at a time and then examine the details. Memories flooded back as he looked at the images: his familiar coffee thermoses, the comforting blanket [blanket] where he once slept, the lively kitchen where he played, the vibrant atmosphere cafeteria [an eatery] that his mother owned and that his father had captured on his way back from the market loaded with bags of groceries. They constitute the past life he lived in General Santos.

The collections blanket printed clothing became one of his most recognizable designs. The vibrant plaid evokes a certain nostalgia that many Filipinos can relate to. For him, the reception of the creations reinforced the importance of embracing one's cultural heritage and personal identity.

By celebrating the familiarity of everyday life, Glarinos designs have deeply resonated with many Filipinos. Ultimately, it's my clothes, but it's really how the wearer thinks about and responds to the designs that matters, he says, adding that he considers it a privilege to share his personal experiences through his creations, thus allowing wearers to train. intimate links with his work. This shared interpretation creates a sense of belonging, especially for Filipinos who find comfort in their clothing as a reminder of home.

Since the release of his latest collection, the designer has been thinking deeply about the future of his brand. Glarino has mainly worked in made-to-measure, but he wants to establish himself more in ready-to-wear.

As a creative, I think sometimes I need to detach myself from work and make sure the engine is running without me, he explains. The appeal of ready-to-wear lies in its efficiency. Once the designs are finalized, they can be easily reproduced. It also makes his work more accessible. Beyond ready-to-wear, he is also thinking about how to enrich the narrative of his menswear. The designer says he sees more experimentation in menswear. You can wear skirts, dresses, whatever you want. It's more of a way of expressing yourself.

Asked about the release date of his next collection, the designer reveals: “I'm actually looking towards the end of next year. Until then, he will study his past lives for inspiration, but more realistically, he will release more ready-to-wear. It’s a beautiful thing when a designer also serves as a storyteller. This is the case with Jaggy. He sees clothes as things that can speak and that's why they attract people.

By DANIELLE RAMOS. Photographs by BORGY ANGELES. Editor:DANYL GENERATE. Makeup: Booyah Corro. Hair: Miggy Carbonilla. Model: Julian Rodriguez. Producer: Anz Hizon. Assistant photographers: Pao Mendoza, Rojan Maguyon. Assistant Stylists: Summer Untalan.