By Dara Clariza Evangelista
Filipiniana isn’t just for Independence Day programs or black-tie events anymore. Bit by bit, it’s finding its way into our daily wardrobes — not as a costume, but as something we can actually wear, move in, and make our own. What used to feel too formal or too precious is now becoming fun, versatile, and deeply expressive. And that shift says a lot about how we see tradition today: not as something we keep in storage, but as something that lives with us.
That was the energy pulsing through Ternocon: Palaro 2025, held on the FIFA-certified MOA Sky Football Pitch — a location that perfectly captured the show’s spirit of movement and play. This time, the spotlight wasn’t just on preserving heritage but on reimagining it, proving that the terno and its modern descendants can look just as natural on a football field as they do in a grand ballroom.
Photos: Courtesy of Bench
And no one embodied that idea more beautifully than Len Cabili of Filip+Inna. Her collection, Basketball Parabola, felt like a love letter to both tradition and everyday life — a reminder that culture doesn’t have to stay in the past to be meaningful.
Cabili’s work has always been about honoring the hands and histories behind every piece. Filip+Inna is built on the belief that “tradition is the warp, and contemporary is the weft,” and that philosophy is stitched into everything she creates. Each garment is the product of collaboration with indigenous artisans from across the country, using weaving, embroidery, and beadwork techniques passed down for generations. But instead of simply preserving those traditions, Cabili breathes new life into them, giving them space to exist in the now.
Photos: Courtesy of Bench
At Ternocon, that vision took on a playful, sport-inspired twist. Basketball Parabola blended the energy of street style and the soul of Filipino craft: think bucket hats and wrap skirts, oversized vests and easy separates, all rooted in handwoven ikat and hablon with intricate beaded details. The result was something that felt equally at home on the street, at a game, or on the runway — a celebration of culture without the heaviness of formality.
But beyond the aesthetics, what makes Cabili’s work so powerful is its purpose. Filip+Inna is more than a fashion label; it’s a bridge between past and present, a way to keep centuries-old skills alive while creating something people actually want to wear today.
Photos: Courtesy of Bench
By working directly with artisan communities, the brand makes sure these traditions don’t just survive — they evolve. With Basketball Parabola, Cabili proves that Filipiniana can be so much more than a symbol. It can be playful. It can be sporty. It can be a part of how we express ourselves every day.
Photos: Courtesy of Bench
And as Filipino fashion continues to move forward, designers like her are showing us that heritage isn’t something we have to look back on — it’s something we can step into, walk with, and wear proudly in the present.
Photos: Courtesy of Bench
Photos: Courtesy of Bench
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Jasmine Curtis-Smith is on the cover of STYLISH Magazine right now, as she shares her thoughts on good storytelling in films, as she’s set to star in upcoming movies Open Night, a 2025 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival sapphic film entry; and Manila’s Finest, an upcoming 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) crime drama movie.
Read the Stylish Magazine September-October 2025 cover story here.
Watch out for a new #StylishPodcast episode featuring our cover girl Jasmine Curtis-Smith, dropping soon on Facebook and YouTube.
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