Solar prints, high-shine hues, boxy looks stride down runway

Group fashion shows in the past often came across like an unspoken competition among the participating designers. The more flamboyant and outré the outfits, the better. Long-time fashion watchers might recall how veteran designer Frederick Peralta once presented an all-giraffe print collection punctuated with heavy, organic-looking jewelry. Although there were others who presented pocket collections before and after him that evening, all anyone remembers was his safari-inspired set. In group shows now, designers have become more introspective, more deliberate. They are grateful for the chance to come up with collections that distill their aesthetic and show where they’re headed. Designers who are invited by Bench to present at the biannual Bench Fashion Week (BFW) see it as an opportunity that is not to be taken lightly. For the holiday edition of BFW 2026 held Sept. 26 and 27, Cebu-based designer Edwin Ao turned street photos he had taken with his phone into a series of deconstructed looks that still managed to highlight expert tailoring. Ao is credited for being one of the designers who updated the look of the barong Tagalog by embroidering playful graffiti on it instead of resorting to the traditional designs. The long-time designer used to work with Arcy Gayatin, another Cebu designer,...