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This year’s Earth Day invites the world to reflect on ‘Our Power, Our Planet,’ and the fashion industry is not exempt from this urgent call. Now, MEGA turns the spotlight on four promising young Filipino designers as they articulate what sustainability means to them and how it influences their body of work. Lawrenbert Hingpit, Inigo Villegas, Pam Denise Parreno, and Kim Tan Sangil share their perspectives on how the next generation is building a conscious and lasting fashion culture.
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Lawrenbert Hingpit
Lawrenbert Hingpit, co-founder and creative director of the Filipino-Italian fashion house LWRNBRT, sees sustainability as deeply connected to responsibility and awareness of the system one operates within. He focuses on how and why things are made, designing with clear intention to create items that people would actually wear and continue to wear over time—all while building a practice that doesn’t rely on excess.
He stays away from trend cycles and constant consumption, valuing longevity instead. This leads him to prioritize craftsmanship and high-quality materials, frequently incorporating byproduct materials that can be reworked into garments meant to last.
“For me, the most sustainable pieces are the ones that are not discarded, but kept and lived with,” he shares. “In that sense, I’m building a body of work that resists disposability.” He acknowledges that sustainability reaches beyond materials and processes, noting that true sustainability at scale in fashion is nearly impossible.
It also carries a cultural dimension for Hingpit. “It’s about how people value clothing,” he adds. As a designer, he sees part of his responsibility as shifting that perspective by encouraging people to care more deeply about what they wear and the craftsmanship behind it.
“So instead of claiming sustainability, I approach my practice through awareness of impact, scale, and meaning,” he concludes.
Inigo Villegas
Much like Hingpit, Inigo Villegas approaches sustainability with a strong emphasis on purpose and responsibility. The young designer behind the namesake artisanal brand IÑIGO entered fashion through dance, creating elevated looks for his high school hip-hop team.
As a young Filipino fashion designer, he keeps in mind that the garments he creates should be timeless—items that can be worn in numerous ways and revisited for years to come, rather than existing for just one moment. This philosophy shapes his body of work from design to construction.
He gives clients the option to transform custom dresses into two-piece sets, allowing them to style the garments differently and extend their use across multiple occasions. In detailing and production, his team works consciously with materials already on hand, sourcing new ones only when truly necessary. “For me, sustainability isn’t only about materials, but about longevity, versatility, and mindful creation,” he answers.
Pam Denise Parreno
Pam Denise Parreno defines sustainability through the creation of items built to endure. A graduate of De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde and assistant designer of Michael Leyva, she founded her own atelier to create feminine prêt-à-porter pieces.
At just 22, she made her international debut with a nine-piece collection titled “The Feminine Unique” at Asian New York Fashion Week SS26.
“For me, sustainability is about creating quality pieces that last…garments that can be worn and loved again and again,” she says. She chooses mindful, intentional design, focusing on timeless yet personal work that remains relevant in a client’s wardrobe for a long time, supported by strong craftsmanship and careful use of materials.
“So, I would say that even as a young designer, I have the responsibility to create with purpose and make choices that have a lasting impact,” Parreno adds.
Kim Tan Sangil
“Sustainability, for me, is rooted in how a piece can continue to evolve,” says Kim Tan Sangil, the creative director behind VÊTUE Designs and a standout graduate of SoFA Design Institute. She focuses on structure and texture over trendy embellishment so that each design serves as a canvas that can be reinterpreted through different styles, occasions, and even different wearers. Through rentals, these items take on multiple lives, with their narratives shifting each time they are worn.
Sangil releases new collections infrequently. When she does, she builds on and extends past collections by reworking the same materials instead of constantly searching for new ones.
“This approach can be more thoughtful…less frequent but with more depth,” she notes. This aligns with her label’s tagline, “Stories depicted through wearable art.”
Her work isn’t fixed to her perspective alone but is shaped by whoever wears it: “That continuous reinterpretation becomes its own form of sustainability, one that goes beyond just materials and into how long a piece can remain relevant and meaningful.”
Photos: MEGA ARCHIVES, INIGO VILLEGAS, PAM DENISE PARRENO, and KIM TAN SANGIL
Photographed by LEANNE LEDESMA, LUIS RUIZ, JERICK SANCHEZ, GRANT BABIA, and PAOLO PINEDA
Frequently Asked Questions
They define it not just by materials, but as a commitment to longevity, mindful creation, and a deep sense of responsibility regarding their environmental and cultural impact.
Hingpit rejects trend cycles and overconsumption, focusing on high-quality craftsmanship and reworking byproduct materials into enduring garments that clients will cherish and live with over time.
Villegas designs timeless, multifunctional pieces—such as dresses that convert into two-piece sets—allowing clients to style them in various ways and extend their use across many occasions.
At 22, Parreno focuses on creating quality, intentional prêt-à-porter pieces that are built to endure, ensuring they remain relevant and loved in a client’s wardrobe for years.
Sangil emphasizes timeless structure and texture, reinterpreting past collections rather than seeking new materials, and uses a rental model to give her designs multiple, evolving lives.
