Iligan-based fashion designer finalist of TernoCon 2020

Celebrities, fashion designers, beauty queens, and Filipiniana enthusiasts gathered on January 26 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines to celebrate and to pay tribute to the country’s national symbol and identity – the Philippine Terno – through the event, TernoCon 2020.

Initiated by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), through its Cultural Exchange Department, and the homegrown clothing brand, Bench (Suyen Corporation), Ternocon aims to encourage the use of the terno as formal dress and inspire a new generation of Filipino designers to make ternos that are grounded in the history of the Philippine national dress.

This is also a platform to motivate regional designers to create works that are at par with the construction techniques of master designers.

The contestants of this year’s Ternocon are Gavin Ruffy of Las Piñas; Krizia Jimenez of Quezon City; June Samson Pugat of Batac, Ilocos Norte; Dinnes Obusan of Tinambac, Camarines Sur; Abdul Dianalan of Iligan City; Renz Reyes of Imus, Cavite; Hannah Adrias of Pasay; Windell B. Madis of Tarlac, Ilocos Norte; Jean Avellanosa-Dee of Manila; Toping Zamora of Davao; Jaggy Glarino of General Santos; and CJ Martin of Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya.

Below are some of Dianalan’s collection, photographed by Critic Beauty Philippines.

Capping the night was the announcement of winners: Dinnes Obusan from Camarines Sur (Bronze), Jaggy Glarino from General Santos City (Silver), and Hannah Adrias from Pasay City (Gold).

Special Award: Chief Mentor Choice

Abdul Dianalan’s creation has captured the heart of the TernoCon2020 Chief Mentor Inno Sotto. According to Marbbie Tagabucba of The Philippine Star, Sotto likens Dianalan’s collection to sci-fi heroine Barbarella’s wardrobe, but all white, varying in sheer and opaque, smooth and textured.

In a snippet of Tagabucba’s article, she quotes:

As a nod to the Muslim hijab, the looks included wide headbands and sheer bucket hats. Sotto laughs as he recalls, “I tell him, ‘Para kang Russian cosmonaut mag-isip.’”

That despite Dianalan hails from a conservative, predominantly Muslim hometown in Mindanao, yet manages to come up with something so retro-futuristic and refined, caught the attention of the Chief Mentor’s Medal signatories. It’s a perfect example of the transportive quality of fashion.

Dianalan was awarded “for his technical excellence and dedication to the entire process of Ternocon 2020 awarded to Abdul Dianalan on January 27, 2020.” (quote from the certificate signed by Sotto, Cabili, and Gonzales). They had a mini awarding among themselves backstage.

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