Contributed Photo | Robert Andrew Hiyas
CEBU CITY, Philippines— A Cebuano is starting to make waves in the country’s fashion industry.
This as a fashion design student from Cebu made his way to one of the most talked-about fashion show competitions in the Philippines, the Bench Design Awards.
He is Robert Andrew Hiyas, 22, a graduate of the University of San Carlos. Hiyas competed in the Bench Design Awards on September 1, 2019, at the BCG Bench Tower Basement ‘Playground.’
According to Hiyas, he is a finalist among all the applicants nationwide.
“[I] was the only one from Cebu and also the youngest [in] this year’s roster,” he said.
Hiyas told CDN Digital that all the contestants were screened by a local judging committee and some representatives from Tokyo Fashion Week.
In the fashion show, Hiyas drew inspiration from reflections on socio-cultural constructs like gender and sexuality.
His collection which was dubbed, “ Trans/(f)igure.”
“I intend to deconstruct gender conventions by reimagining the human figure as body, as embodiment, and as a medium that human beings use to perform gender,” says Hiyas.
Now, Hiyas is more inspired to just keep on going and produce as many wonderful designs and creations to highlight in the future.
“Keep going and keep producing! My collections are all agencies of expressions. The only way I can feel fulfillment is by manifesting these into something palpable. Almost like painting, really,” he says. /bmjo