In a fashion Months full of firsts, designer John Herrera showed for the first time at Fashion Scout and debuted with his FW17 collection, Agila. A showcase tinged with tradition and exploration of Herrera’s Filipino roots.
Herrera launched his brand in London two years ago when he was chosen to participate in the British Council and British Fashion Council’s International Fashion Showcase at Somerset House. That same year Herrera went on to win at the London Emerging Designer Awards, also at Somerset House, and showed his winning collection at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Tokyo. After showing a sensational bioluminescence themed collection and on the eve of LFW’s FW17 season, Herrera was announced as the winner of Britain’s Top Designer award for 2017, a title previously held by Helen Woollams of Hellavagirl Couture.
For his FW17 collection Herrera harked back to his roots, experimenting with filipino tribal art and tattoos straight out of Luzon. The Philippine eagle which features prominently throughout the stunning six piece collection, was a huge inspiration to the designer, each piece of his hand-drawn, original artwork was transferred to the fabric through dye-sublimation printing in partnership with Epson Philippines, with amazing attention to detail. The result, a sublime kaleidoscopic effect in earthy, neutral tones. I was on the front row and can vouch for just how hotly anticipated and talked about this show was; without a doubt, Herrera’s showcase was one of the most over subscribed shows I’ve been to in years and for good reason.
The great thing about Herrera as an emerging design talent, is his passion for ethical material sourcing and supporting his hometown where he continues to produce his collections. His staff is made up of women from challenged upbringing and he continues to support his community through his work; Herrera is a designer who has seen struggle and made it work as a positive in his branding.
Next on the agenda for the Filipino designer is a stint at Paris Fashion Week. Agila will be shown as a static presentation at The Westin Paris – Vendome as part of the prestigious So… Couture showroom.
Definitely one to watch Voyeurs, the Agila collection is already up on Vogue Online and will feature in this season’s accompanying Vogue Collections – I’ll be watching for Herrera’s next move as September is always the best show season…
Pixie xo
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