Student designs Filipino dish-inspired gowns
Filipino dishes reflect the diversity of different regions of the country. Often eaten with rice, they come in a colorful variety of ingredients. It’s no wonder why Teejay Flores Gatmaitan, a grade 12 student from Bulacan who aspires to become a fashion designer, used them as his inspirations for his digital art gowns.
Using the Autodesk Sketchbook application, he created Filipino dish-inspired gowns to show how dishes such as pinakbet, nilaga, and adobo, to name a few, look like as evening gowns.
Ulam: Fashion Design Series
Image credit: Teejay Flores Gatmaitan
Gatmaitan’s set of gowns, which he also named Ulam: Fashion Design Series, wows in earthy colors.
The pinakbet-inspired gown, for instance, consists of a symmetrical top and a high-slit skirt in yellow-green. The nilaga-inspired gown displays the color of the ulam in a plunging gown with a ball gown skirt, while the adobo-inspired gown is a classic, brown tube gown.
Image credit: Teejay Flores Gatmaitan
The classic hotdog, with its simplicity, was rendered as a gorgeous red high-slit gown as well. Bicol express, served with a rich amount of coconut milk, was transformed into a beautiful pink and yellow-green gown.
The orange sinigang-na-hipon-inspired gown is unique with its asymmetrical top and sleeve detail, resembling green leaves.
According to Gatmaitan, drawing gives him happiness, and he came up with the digital art gowns to showcase the beauty of local food. “Bata palang ay gumuguhit na ako ng mga damit at iba pa. Nakakapag-bigay ito sa akin ng saya kung kaya’t pinagpapatuloy ko ang aking passion. Naisip ko po ito dahil para sa akin may gandang taglay ang bawat bagay gaya ng mga pagkain,” he told ABS-CBN News.
(I’ve been drawing clothes ever since I was a child. It gives me happiness, that’s why I’m continuing this passion. I thought of doing the gowns, because, for me, every thing, such as food, possesses beauty.)
Filipino dish-inspired gowns
More than their delicious tastes, Filipino dishes are indeed also admirable for their colorful ingredients. They showcase the complexity of our dishes, remarkable for their many flavors.
Kudos to Gatmaitan for drawing such beautiful gowns that showcase the aesthetic of our local dishes!
Also check out:
- Ulam recipes from different regions
- Miss Universe evening gowns
- Street food vendors as kalsada heroes
Cover image adapted from: Teejay Flores Gatmaitan