Fashion Week Asia: The World Needs More MALIGAYA

We like to think that Roko Arceo has many interesting objects lying around his habitat: vintageVintageClothing and accessories that are at least 20 years old and represent the style of a particular era, valued for their quality and uniqueness. Vintage shopping supports sustainable fashion, andGo to Vintage Glossary doilies, old lace table runners, and perhaps an entire cabinet dedicated to things that catch his fancy. The designer behind MALIGAYA has already made dresses out of household textiles, and his Found Treasures collection for Fashion Week Asia continues his interest in materials marked by age and use.

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Crochet flowers crowd together in colorful arrangements, with intricate openwork giving way to heavier, sculptural embellishments. Arceo has a good eye for combining patterns, allowing each to retain its character without overwhelming the others. There’s an almost mischievous quality to his taste.

However, it’s not all whimsy. His work resembles coral reefs for a reason, drawing inspiration from marine ecosystems threatened by environmental deterioration. The collection takes us beneath the surface, where life is as extraordinary as it is vulnerable. Maligaya may mean joy in our language, but Arceo’s MALIGAYA has a heart to match—one that the world needs more of.

Photos courtesy of FASHION WEEK ASIA. Photographed by EXCEL PANLAQUE of KLIQ INC.

Anya Oxyn

Senior Fashion Writer

Formerly a stylist who immersed herself intimately within the Philippine fashion circuit for over three years, Anya has refined her transformative, hands-on experience into an insightful voice for MEGA Asia as a Senior Fashion Writer.

Her editorial pursuit possesses three facets: her time as an essayist during her education at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, her extensive experience in digital media and strategic storytelling, and her belief that fashion has a beating heart deeply intertwined with art, culture, society, and humanity itself that is worth uncovering.

Anya’s versatile pen spans a dynamic range of subjects, including emerging local designers, global luxury houses, beauty trends, film and television fashion analysis, cultural op-eds, major events, and beyond.

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