This is an excerpt from the MEGA May 2025 Designer Profile
WHEN DID YOUR FASHION JOURNEY START ?
LULU TAN-GAN: Almost half a century, 48 years ago. But my brand is 40 years? Yeah… four decades.
RIA BOLIVAR: I started during pandemic. I was thinking that I know how to crochet so I’m going to make this for my kid. Like cute bags for my son. And after that cute bags for my friends. And then people started asking, “Oh, can I buy that from you?” and “Can you make it like this?” So I started from there.
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CAN YOU SHARE WITH US HOW YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS WORKS? WHERE DO YOU G ET YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?
RB: When I make clothes, I make the ones I would wear myself. I like to mix and match clothes. So I like sexy, but on top, I have a cover up. I like backless clothes, but if I wear that, I’m going to put on a crochet cardigan. That’s why I make a lot of polo shirts.
LTG: By process, I think it’s the same. You kind of think of what design you want to make, but when you’re dependent on the loom, which has its width, you’re really very limited. When I was doing knit, I had to adjust to the width of the loom. I had to also adjust to the knit-wear, which sometimes there are years where knitwear is not so much in trend, like during the time of the minimalist. Now it’s freestyle. You can do anything you want, but during that time, we were following trends… My process is really having to adjust to the limitations of loom crafting. And then, of course, sometimes the weather, sometimes many factors—the market, and the seasons.
RB: And if you crochet… it’s the same. You have to make sure everything is in measure with crochet and knitting.
WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING?
LTG: The upcoming generations. For fashion, it’s crafting and making clothes. It’s been my thing ever since I wanted to be a fashion designer in my senior year in high school—because I was deciding what course to take for college. The second reason is I think I enjoy the challenge of creating something new or innovative. Like in knit-wear, when I started, it was just sweaters and cardigans here. But I think what I did differently was I was just doing stitching and colors. Creating fashion, not just the basics. So I became known as “Queen of Knitwear” which I can’t shake off! (laughs). That was like 20 years… Then I started thinking I want to do something as a Filipino designer, and I love piña. I was thinking of how I could put knitwear and piña together? And so enjoying that challenge makes me continue with my innovation. I have a lot of designer peers and models becoming designers. It’s very inspiring.
RB: Everything! When I stepped into Manila and started modelling here, it’s the fashion scene. I love fashion, I love to wear clothes. It doesn’t matter if it’s branded or ukay. I love to mix them up. My work, my kids, my family also keep me going.
WHAT DO YOU LOV E THE MOST IN YOUR JOURNEY AS A FASHION DESIGNER SO FAR?
LTG: I feel very lucky to be born as a creative person and being surrounded by creative people, because I think we have the least problems. If ever we have, we just laugh about it and we find a solution.
RB: We always find a solution. Yeah, I love that about creatives. As a newbie in designing, I learn a lot from them. And I love being with them, just listening.
Read more of Lulu Tan-Gan and Ria Bolivar’s conversation in MEGA’s May 2025 issue. Out now.
Photographed by PAOLO PINEDA. Production and Art Direction JONES PALTENG. Styling ERICA TEROL. Makeup XENG ZULUETA (RIA and JASLENE), DON DE JESUS (LULU and KATH). Hair MIGGY CARBONILLA. Models JASLENE and KATH ASUNSCION.
