Ambassador Mylene J. Garcia-Albano (6th from left, front), Commercial Counsellor Ma. Bernadita Angara-Mathay (5th from left, front), and the featured Filipino visual artists and designers who participated in the PH MODE x Tokyo by MFF show at the Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo.

TOKYO, 23 September 2025 – The Philippine Trade and Investment Center (PTIC) Tokyo of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), with the support of the Philippine Embassy in Japan, proudly led the country’s participation in the prestigious Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo on 05 September 2025 at Shibuya Hikarie.

Under the banner PH MODE x TYO by Manila Fashion Forward (MFF), PTIC Tokyo turned its vision into reality, staging a 24-look runway collection that fused Filipino visual art, indigenous fibers such as piña, and advanced Japanese sustainable printing technology. The groundbreaking showcase demonstrated how Philippine creativity can be elevated through global collaboration, sustainability, and digital innovation.

In her message, Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene J. Garcia-Albano remarked that the show is “an early glimpse of the meaningful cultural, creative, and economic collaborations” for the 70th anniversary of Philippines-Japan diplomatic relations in 2026.

The show’s theme, “Beyond the Loom,” underscored the ingenuity of the Philippines’ creative sector and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in galvanizing art and fashion as a driver for inclusive growth.

Commercial Counsellor Dita Angara-Mathay of PTIC Tokyo emphasized the strategic role of the initiative:

“Our objective goes beyond a single fashion show. PTIC Tokyo has positioned this as a platform where Filipino artistry, indigenous fibers, and sustainable technology converge—not just to inspire, but to open pathways for trade and investment. We are bringing together artists, designers, communities, and innovators to show how culture and sustainability can shape new industries.”

The first phase of the runway captivated audiences with the textile art of Monica Castillo, whose works translated Philippine flora, fauna, and cultural motifs into contemporary fabrics. “I think it’s beautiful to translate it this way, it’s more contemporary, especially for the young. This is really for the next generation – to keep the beauty and wonder of being a Filipino alive,” Ms. Castillo said.

Ambassador Mylene J. Garcia-Albano (right) engaging with Filipino textile artist Monica Castillo (left).

In the second phase, Maria Angelica Tan presented her “Heiko” collection, a meditative visual series inspired by Buddhist stone-stacking rituals, reimagined through Japanese textile technology. “I wanted to do this series for this show because it shows a sense of balance, which I believe is very representative of the journey between Japan and the Philippines in celebrating their 70-year diplomatic relationship,” she reflected.

Ambassador Mylene J. Garcia-Albano (rightmost) and Commercial Counsellor Ma. Bernadita Angara-Mathay (leftmost) with Ms. Maria Angelica Tan (middle).

The collaborative showcase featured pioneering Filipino brands alongside a Japanese label:

• ALODIA CECILIA: sculptural silhouettes and youth-driven storytelling through her “flux” technique;
• Maison Métisse: zero-waste fashion using piña seda, piña-poly blends, and coconut beads woven into modern silhouettes;
• .ARCHIVES: avant-garde, gender-neutral streetwear inspired by “modern-day armor” with a Filipino twist;
• Uttrykk (Japan): Kyoto craftsmanship blended with Tokyo street sensibilities, integrating pineapple fibers into refined tailoring.

Beyond the runway, PTIC Tokyo organized a curated exhibit of indigenous textiles and coconut-based products, aligned with the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP), to showcase the Philippines’ rise in the global creative economy.

Philippine coconut items on display at the Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo.

Commercial Counsellor Angara-Mathay noted the trade and investment dimension of the initiative: “Through this partnership with Rakuten—the powerhouse behind Japan’s largest e-commerce platform—we are not only presenting Philippine fashion and design, but also embedding it in a digital ecosystem that reaches over 100 million users in Japan and 1.6 billion globally. This is cultural diplomacy with direct commercial potential, and PTIC Tokyo is committed to ensuring that follow-through business-to-business engagements transform this visibility into concrete opportunities for our MSMEs and creative enterprises.”

The Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo also showcased the masterpieces of three (3) Filipino winners of the Bench Design Awards in a special runway show on 02 September 2025. The show presented the creations of STEPHVERANO, nadalē, and Peach.Garde, elevating Filipino designs to the international stage and reinforcing the Philippines’ expanding global footprint in fashion and design. END

Ambassador Mylene J. Garcia-Albano (3rd from right, front), Commercial Counsellor Ma. Bernadita Angara-Mathay (2nd from right, front), Bench founder Mr. Ben Chan, and the Filipino winners of the Bench Design Awards featured at the Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo.

Share this post: on X on Facebook on LinkedIn