Childhood holds a special place in many hearts. And for Jerome Lorico, he used that as the catalyst for his exploration of nature and its place and need in the modern world. From province kid to city boy, Lorico imagined a world where freedom comes naturally in a time when restraint feels expected rather than an exception in modern living.
“I think all of us, at one point in our lives, tend to long for a reconnection,” he tells MEGA. “I believe that this collection is sort of like an idea, a concept that tells about that kind of story. I want to be able to sort of say that there’s always a chance for us to reconnect and to broaden our horizons if we would allow ourselves to be free and to accept the idea of freedom.”
The result was his collection titled Lux et Sal, which is Latin for Light and Salt, presented at MNL Fashion Week 2026, that reminded us of the natural world’s healing power.
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Lorico Goes Back to Nature
His debut collection for MNL Fashion Week was more than the latest look at Lorico and his eponymous label’s artistic expression; it was a return home. Taking inspiration from his youth growing up in the province in Bicol, where elements such as water were just a stone’s throw away, the designer invited audiences to escape the city for a while in his reflection on the nature that surrounded his upbringing. As such, black, white, and blue became the foundational colors of the collection.
For the Bicolano designer, using nature as his muse was a logical path to take, especially in how many parts of society have been transformed into a hyper-connected mindset. “With everything that’s happening now in the world, I believe nature is the only way to go.” Through his signature molded knitwear and texture manipulation, each piece explored the healing and calm of the natural world amidst the hustle and bustle of urban life.
Less nostalgic and more reflective, it was an opportunity to return to nature and remember and reconnect with oneself and the world. For Lorico, it was a moment when he could look back on the home he left more than two decades ago when he moved to Manila. Here, calm and respite aren’t seen as rewards at the end of the day, but as restorative and vital.
“Nature is the greatest healer,” he shares. “I think that it’s always important for artists, for designers, and even for ordinary people doing their own thing in their own industry to believe in being able to heal something, no matter if it’s within themselves, healing something with other people, or healing something with nature and the world.”
This focus wasn’t just evident in the clothes, which moved from symmetrical black knits into navy pinstripes, draping, matelassé, pleating, and asymmetry, but also in how they were presented during the show. At the center of the space was a rectangular LED screen that displayed ocean waves over a bed of salt covering the floor the models walked on, which came from Lorico’s own inspiration of salt’s healing properties. It made for an atmosphere that created a physical return to the sea, even if the nearest beach was miles away.
Dreams and ambitions often push many to leave their homes for the big city. And in leaving behind where he came from, Lorico turned his first show in seven years into a reflection of his roots and the longing and growing admiration that comes from time and distance away.
Ultimately, Lorico hopes that the collection, just like the nature he looks to, serves almost like a shield against the hectic pace that has come to define modern life, a fitting way to see things given that Lorico is derived from the Latin term lorical, which means armor maker. “It’s to see my clothes as a piece of armor that would help them to survive the daily grind and the daily challenges of the world.”
Featured Image and Photos: Photographed by Kieran Punay
Frequently Asked Questions
Lux et Sal, Latin for “Light and Salt,” is Jerome Lorico’s MNL Fashion Week 2026 collection exploring nature’s healing power, inspired by his childhood in Bicol. It features black, white, and blue tones, molded knitwear, and texture manipulation.
Lorico drew on his childhood in the province of Bicol, where water and nature were close at hand, contrasting it with the hyper-connected, restrained pace of modern city life he experienced after moving to Manila.
Models walked on a bed of salt while a rectangular LED screen displayed ocean waves, creating a physical sense of returning to the sea, inspired by salt’s healing properties central to the Lux et Sal concept.
Lorico is derived from the Latin term “lorical,” meaning armor maker. Designer Jerome Lorico sees his clothes as a form of armor meant to help wearers survive the daily grind and challenges of modern life.
Yes. Lux et Sal marked Lorico’s first fashion show in seven years, serving as both a return to the runway and a reflective homecoming to his roots in Bicol.
