You don’t need to become a completely different person to say you’ve grown, as it’s a continuous process. If anything, getting better at what you do can mean becoming so assured of yourself that the qualities once requiring conscious effort eventually become instinct.
Last season, when MEGA asked whether Veejay Floresca would rather pursue the conceptual or accessible for her first New York Fashion Week collection, the Filipino designer chose the latter. She hasn’t changed her mind about that, mind you. She’s simply more certain of her reasons.
Veejay Floresca Trusts Herself for S/S27
“I’ve learned that power isn’t always about being the loudest in the room,” she shares with MEGA after her S/S27 outing at New York Fashion Week. “It’s about knowing who you are, owning your story, and having the confidence to evolve while staying true to yourself.”
With Filipino fashion receiving more international attention, designers are inevitably tasked with representing where they come from, though Floresca doesn’t believe doing so requires making the answer obvious: “For me, it’s about designing from a Filipino point of view. I don’t feel the need to make something overtly Filipino. My perspective, sensibility, and experiences as a Filipina naturally influence my work. It’s part of who I am, so it comes through authentically.”
It’s an important distinction that she emphasizes. Floresca is Filipino at heart, so everything she creates will naturally carry that identity. Still, she sees plenty of room to explore the traditions we already have. She points specifically to indigenous textiles and traditional weaving techniques, envisioning their craftsmanship in unexpected contemporary silhouettes without separating them from their heritage.
Filipino Fashion Has a Story Worth Knowing
Upon seeing her new collection, we’re fascinated by its push-and-pull quality. It’s Veejay Floresca all over, experimenting with materials and textures as embroidered shirts meet fuzzy trousers, with strands of beads extending past hemlines. All that exploration inevitably leads to a lineup that feels very much Filipino, even when it isn’t composed of look after look of Filipiniana.
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When asked what the global industry still needs to understand about Filipino fashion, Floresca finds it difficult to separate craftsmanship from the designers, infrastructure, and stories supporting it. She does, however, believe the last deserves attention. “Filipino fashion has so much depth, history, and incredible craftsmanship,” she explains. “When people understand the story and culture behind a piece, they appreciate the artistry on an entirely different level.”
Floresca is already contributing her own chapter. From beginning her career in the Philippines to building her namesake brand in the United States, her return to NYFW now places her in a position she once worked toward reaching.
It’s understandable that most people tend to place a lot of importance on firsts and debuts, yet have less generosity for what comes second. And yet, we disagree. Novelty can never be lost when life pushes you to grow through new discoveries about yourself. Veejay Floresca is even more clear-eyed about the future, and she’ll continue to move forward, one stunning collection at a time.
Photos courtesy of VEEJAY FLORESCA
