UNDERSTANDING THE PREFERENCES OF THE FILIPINOS FOR MODERNIZED

FILIPINO CLOTHINGS

Background of the Study (Problem)

Traditional Filipino Clothes are diverse in terms of culture, style and textile. In the past,

Filipinos are dressed modestly. Filipinas wear Baro’t Saya that covers their body down to their

ankle and men wear Barong Tagalog. These are combination of Spanish-Filipino clothing and

has become the representation of Filipino men and women’s heritage and nationalism.

However, majority of Filipinos are not aware of other traditional clothing in our country

because it is not commonly used and seen.

According to Camella H. (2022), colonial mentality has a long- lasting effect in Filipino

Youths. It affects their perception of beauty such as preference for lighter skin or wanting

foreign countries sense of fashion to feel accepted which creates a huge impact with their

everyday lives. Dr. Christine Catipon, a psychologist, explains that the Philippines long history of

colonization created the uncertainty on what really defines our culture and has reached the

point that Filipinos ourselves are ashamed with our own culture.

On report of Mel Cuevas (2019), the national dress underwent until the 1960s and

different designers nowadays are having difficulty remodeling Filipiniana into to a modern

fashion without losing the authenticity of the elements into translation. Ben Chan, executive

creative director of Bench, stated that Filipiniana should be normalize and belong to every

wardrobe. He adds that the task of Filipino designers and visionaries should include turning

Filipiniana into a Filipino lifestyle.

There are few modern Filipino clothes company in the market that is slowly establishing

our culture in fashion clothes. The clothes are cut and designed to suit the hot- humid weather

and is great for daily wear. Despite of all of this, most Filipinos especially the young adults still
admire and promote foreign fashion such as in Western and South Eastern countries. As a

result, the Philippine’s traditional fashion is slowly fading away and continuously look down

upon, specifically the traditional clothes of specific tribes are undervalued as of today.

Background of the Company

The Maharuyong Kloset is a modernized clothing company that encourages to value the

unique Philippine artistry and aims to preserve the traditional clothing etiquettes which were

originally from the Filipino ancestors. The company was founded by John Mark Bumanlag and

Jelaine Soriano on June year 2015. It offers a wide variety of modernized traditional clothes

suitable for every occasion along with the promotion of cultural values. From daily wear up to

formal wear, a wide array of clothing selections is being offered that screams the touch of being

a Filipino. Every inch and detail of the clothes are specially sewed with a purpose of promoting

the Filipino culture. The textiles and accessories to be used in the clothes will come from local

materials such as the pina and abaca fibers to boost local produced and further recognized the

crafts of indigenous tribes.