Fashion Institute of the Philippines Showcases Its Next Generation of Filipino Designers
Last Updated on October 14, 2026 by Over Here Toronto
The Fashion Institute of the Philippines put 17 graduating designers on the runway for its 2026 Graduation Show, giving a first look at the names entering the next chapter of Philippine fashion.
The annual show took place on October 11 at Bigger Pictures in Mandaluyong City. Students from FIP campuses in Ortigas, Makati, Subic, Cebu, and Sta. Rosa, Laguna presented four-piece collections built around five assigned themes.
The night also named RD Ilagan as FIP Designer of the Year 2026, while Ryan Bello and Vinz Madrid completed the top three.
The show marked 23 years since designer Shanon Pamaong founded the Fashion Institute of the Philippines in 2003.
Seventeen Designers Present Four-Look Collections
This year’s graduation runway brought together 17 students from five FIP campuses.
Each graduate produced a four-piece collection.
Instead of asking every student to work from one idea, FIP divided the runway into five chapters:
- Abstract/Representation
- Form/Function
- Natural/Artificial
- Reality/Fantasy
- Past/Future
The themes gave the graduates a starting point while leaving room for personal ideas.
Some designers worked with large shapes. Others focused on detailed construction, surface treatments, fabric manipulation, or clothes that played with the line between art and everyday wear.
The runway credits included names such as Christian Realtor, Cairoden Radiamoda, Fritz Benitez, Kim Vallado, RD Ilagan, Marjorie delos Reyes, Shadz Arula, JM San Miguel, Jomar Albarracin, Ryan Bello, Erjohn dela Serna, Vinz Madrid, and Kendall Ruita.
Labels or collection names including Mankelow, Flophia, Havva, and Glory Manila also appeared during the presentation.
FIP described the event as a way to:
“celebrate creativity, talent, and the next generation of Filipino fashion designers.”
RD Ilagan Wins Designer of the Year
The graduation show ended with the school’s annual awards.
RD Ilagan received the Designer of the Year title for 2026.
He also won Best in Fabric Manipulation, giving him two awards during the evening.
Ilagan’s win continues a recent run for menswear designers at the school. He follows Chuck Mores, who won in 2025, and Teng Surisantos, the 2024 Designer of the Year.
That makes Ilagan the third menswear designer in a row to receive FIP’s top graduation award.
From the original group of 17 graduates, judges first selected 10 finalists.
Ryan Bello then finished as first runner-up, while Vinz Madrid took second runner-up.
Madrid also received the award for Best in Construction.
The awards gave the judges a way to recognize both the full collections and specific technical skills.
FIP Puts Construction at the Center of the Runway
A fashion graduation show is not only about how the final clothes look.
For design students, the runway also shows whether they can turn an idea into a finished garment.
That includes pattern making, sewing, fit, fabric choice, construction, and finishing.
Those skills were clear across this year’s collections.
Fabric manipulation appeared in several looks. Other pieces relied on volume, layers, sharp shapes, or detailed surface work.
The five themes also asked students to think about contrast.
“Natural/Artificial,” for example, gave designers room to compare nature with made materials or forms.
“Reality/Fantasy” allowed another group to move between familiar clothing and more theatrical ideas.
“Past/Future” gave students a way to look back while thinking about what clothing could become next.
The structure helped keep the show connected while still allowing every graduate to build a separate design identity.
Shanon Pamaong Also Returns to the Runway
The program also looked back at the school’s own history.
FIP founder Shanon Pamaong presented two designs during a segment dedicated to his work.
One was a menswear look.
The other was a couture piece worn by model Jasmine Maierhofer.
Pamaong founded FIP in 2003 with a focus on practical fashion education.
The school now teaches areas such as fashion design, pattern making, sewing, menswear, styling, and the business side of fashion.
Its campuses also give students outside one central Manila location a way to study through the FIP system.
Students from Ortigas, Makati, Subic, Cebu, and Sta. Rosa all joined the 2026 graduation presentation.
More information about the school and its courses is available through the Fashion Institute of the Philippines website.
Faculty Members Open the Show
The students were not the only designers on the runway.
The night began with members of the FIP faculty presenting clothes they designed themselves.
That opening placed teachers beside the students they had helped train.
It also showed that the instructors continue to work with design and garment construction outside classroom lessons.
After the faculty section, the runway moved into the five student chapters before the awards later in the program.
George Pudadera Wins the Shanon Pamaong Menswear Challenge
The graduation show also hosted the final runway for the Shanon Pamaong Menswear Challenge.
The competition is open to eligible FIP students who have studied menswear.
Students first submitted fashion illustrations, mood boards, and descriptions of their concepts.
Finalists then brought their menswear ideas to the runway.
For 2026, Georjé by George Pudadera won the challenge.
The separate contest gives current students another way to show their work even before they reach the graduation stage.
It also keeps menswear as a visible part of FIP’s design program.
Fashion Industry Professionals Judge the Collections
The 2026 judging panel included people working across several sides of Philippine fashion and media.
The panel included:
- Designers Daryl Maat and Bryan Peralta
- Celebrity stylist Myrrh Lao To
- FIP President Renee Salud
- Photographer Borgy Angeles
- Preview Associate Creative Director Jana Jodloman
- Preview Managing Editor Reg Rodriguez
The judges also met with the designers before the final runway.
A pre-judging session on September 30 gave the panel time to review each collection’s idea and execution.
The students received feedback before the final show.
That process meant the awards considered more than what audiences saw during a few minutes on the runway.
The Show Gives New Designers Their First Major Runway Moment
Graduation is only the start for the 17 designers.
Some may launch their own labels. Others may enter fashion houses, costume work, retail, styling, production, or related parts of the industry.
The show gives them finished collections they can add to a portfolio.
It also puts their names in front of working designers, stylists, photographers, editors, and other people in Philippine fashion.
For this year’s top three, the awards add another early credit.
RD Ilagan leaves the class as Designer of the Year and Best in Fabric Manipulation. Ryan Bello finishes as first runner-up, while Vinz Madrid takes second runner-up and Best in Construction.
As FIP enters another year, its latest graduates now move from the classroom into the wider Philippine fashion scene.
For more runway photos from the 2026 graduate collections, readers can also view Preview’s coverage of the FIP Grad Show.
