Carla Gem Buyo

Manila Fashion Week Day 4 Backstage Vina Romero and Randolf

Article (news)

<p>As the curtains fell on <strong>Manila Fashion Week</strong>, it was a pair of powerful, contrasting finales that lingered in the minds of audiences. <strong>Viña Romero</strong> and <strong>RJ Santos</strong> of <strong>Randolf</strong>—two designers with distinct voices yet equal emotional weight, closed the four-day event with collections that couldn’t be more different in tone, yet equally rich in storytelling.</p><div><br/></div><p>Viña offered a meditative, decade-spanning tribute to craft and cultural continuity, while Santos delivered a razor-sharp, emotionally ironic take on love, obsession, and identity. One whispered, the other winked—but both reminded us why fashion, at its most thoughtful, is a language of feeling as much as form.</p><div style="text-align:center"><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><strong>Legacy in Layers with Viña Romero</strong><strong></strong></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17609666048331.png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Viña Romero is marking her tenth year in the fashion industry with a deeply personal and meticulously crafted collection titled &quot;Mga Bakas: Noon, Ngayon, at Bukas.&quot; This latest offering is a retrospective celebration of the textures, materials, and quiet yet powerful identity her brand has cultivated over the past decade.</p><div><br/></div><p>A graduate of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Romero refined her craft further with a scholarship at the London College of Contemporary Arts before launching her eponymous label, Viña Romero. Now available in Rustan’s Makati and Shangri-La Plaza, her designs are known for their deeply tactile approach and rooted storytelling.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17609658254572.png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Looking back at the moment that shaped her brand, she cites her debut collection, “Palad,” as a defining creative turning point. “When you see all the details and the textures and the process I did for that collection, it’ll remind you of all the details we&#x27;re still doing right now. Every signature detail came from that collection,” she shares.</p><div><br/><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17609658528205.png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Her Manila Fashion Week collection is a curated anthology of her most beloved pieces, showcasing her brand’s signature textures and slow-crafted sensibility. “This show’s really a celebration of our 10th year in the industry. We really wanna highlight the process, the signatures of the brand that we’ve created for the last 10 years,” Viña explains.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17609665771902.png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>One key element in this collection is her seamless integration of indigenous Filipino fabrics, made possible through a partnership with the Department of Science and Technology–Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI). “Way before when I was starting, we really had a limited source of materials, so we&#x27;re so happy that right now, PTRI are opening up to designers,” she says.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176096606520010.png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>Viña&#x27;s design process is quiet, meditative. “I don’t like working with music. I can only tolerate natural sounds: wind and water,” she says. This philosophy extends to the show’s ambiance—an immersive experience into her world. The beauty direction reflects this same restrained elegance: “It’s bronzy, it&#x27;s all natural makeup and straight hair. Simple, but definitely not plain.”</p><div><br/></div><p>Viña Romero’s decade-strong commitment to authenticity, detail, and cultural narrative is a reminder that the most compelling fashion is the kind that knows exactly where it came from—and where it’s going.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><strong>Miss U, Truly</strong></div><div><strong><br/></strong></div><strong><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17609667312534(1).png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></strong><div></div><p>For RJ Santos, the creative force behind Randolf, fashion is not just about silhouettes or trends but also the storytelling with wit, irony, and emotional depth. At Manila Fashion Week 2025, the designer debuts a new collection that takes the audience through the slippery line between love and obsession, all while reintroducing what made Randolf so distinct in the first place: clever commentary dressed in compelling design.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1760967227235METRO WATERMARK - PORTRAIT (4).png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>A graduate of Clothing Technology from the University of the Philippines, RJ’s journey into fashion wasn’t always linear. “I started my brand as a passion project right after graduation while having other full-time jobs,” he shares. His fascination with fashion began in high school, when a classmate introduced him to avant-garde fashion magazines like Dazed &amp; Confused, i-D, and Flaunt. It was in those glossy, irreverent pages that he saw the power of fashion as art—and never looked back.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17609672691373(1).png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>For his latest collection, RJ explores the emotional complexity of obsession—how we mistake it for love, only to realize we’ve lost ourselves along the way. “I want the collection to end with the realization that through finding love, you kind of lost yourself… but when you finally retreat to who you really are, makikita mo na nandun pa rin,” he says.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176096690505214(1).png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><br/></div><p>This introspective theme is brought to life with satirical edge—especially in a standout royal blue serpentina dress inspired by beauty pageants. Adorned with sashes that read “Miss Beautiful,” “Miss Whatever,” and finally “Miss U” on the back (complete with a sad face), the gown is a tongue-in-cheek critique of how titles and validation can eclipse self-worth. “She’s so obsessed with all of these titles that she kinda lost a sense of who she really is,” RJ explains.</p><div><br/></div><p>RJ sees this collection as more than just a seasonal offering. It’s a chance to reflect on Randolf’s evolution—from its beginnings in streetwear to more formal explorations in Barong Tagalog, and now, full circle to its playful yet poignant roots. “Sometimes <em>kasi</em> I forget that the brand is really about having fun and joking. It got to a point<em> na parang medyo</em> nawala. So this time I hope <em>na yun yung ma-communicate namin</em>,” he says with candid honesty.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176096685571120.png" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><p>In a fashion landscape that often prizes seriousness and polish, RJ Santos reminds us that humor, heart, and a little bit of self-awareness can still be the most powerful tools in a designer’s arsenal.</p><div><br/></div><div><em>Photographed by Kim Montes</em></div><div><em>Assisted by Victoria Baal</em></div><div><em>Produced and Creative Directed by Carla Buyo</em></div><div><em>Assisted by Ysabella Bautista</em><em></em><strong></strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Stay tuned for more Manila Fashion Week moments on Metro.Style and @metromagph on Instagram.</p>

<p>It's the last day of Manila Fashion Week, here are our backstage highlights and exclusive interview with the designers.</p>

It's the last day of Manila Fashion Week, here are our backstage highlights and exclusive interview with the designers.

Backstage In MFW Day 4: Viña Romero's Legacy In Layers and Randolf's Campy Catharsis

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Backstage In MFW Day 4: Viña Romero's Legacy In Layers and Randolf's Campy Catharsis

Carla Buyo

Published Oct 20, 2025 08:00 PM PHT

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Updated Oct 20, 2025 10:24 PM PHT

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