Carla Gem Buyo

For Jerome Lorico, Fashion Begins With the Hands That Make It

Article (news)

<p>For <strong>Jerome Lorico</strong>, fashion has always been closely tied to making. He grew up in a province where craft was part of everyday life, with both parents working as basket weavers and a small family handicraft business exposing him early to the beauty of things made by hand. Years later, after collecting old local and international magazines from the only secondhand bookstore in his hometown, that early curiosity eventually brought him to Manila and fashion.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178857057101911.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: Lorico</span></span></span></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178857060824212.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: Lorico</span></span></span></div><p>For <strong>MNL Fashion Week</strong>, <strong>Lorico</strong> looks back to that quieter landscape. Growing up surrounded by nature and the sea, he remembers a kind of peace that can be difficult to find as a city dweller. His collection becomes an invitation to reconnect with nature, with other people, and with ourselves, away from the noise that so easily takes over everyday life.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17885706231007.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: Lorico</span></span></span></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17885706395204.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: Lorico</span></span></span></div><p>That instinctive approach also comes through in his knitwear. &ldquo;Sculpting knitwear is like molding water,&rdquo; Lorico says, describing the knitted pieces as an extension of his inner feelings and instinct. It is a fitting image for a designer whose work has always been about storytelling, art, and creating with intention.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178857064938310.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: Lorico</span></span></span></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17885706834025.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: Lorico</span></span></span></div><p>And the story does not end at MNL Fashion Week. In October, Lorico will take the collection to Paris for his first exhibition during Paris Fashion Week, making its Manila presentation an introduction to what comes next.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 960px; display: block;" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17885706910653.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Jerome Lorico at MNL Fashion Week</span></span></span></div><p>For Lorico, designing is more than solving a problem or meeting a commercial expectation. It is another language for art and expression, and this collection speaks in a much quieter voice.</p><div><br></div><div><em>Photographed by Pat Buenaobra</em></div><div><em>Creative Directed by Carla Buyo</em></div><div><em>Assisted by Sophia Ancheta and Zoe Althea Agnes</em></div><div><em>Written by Zoe Althea Agnes</em></div><div><em><br></em></div><div><em>Read more MNL Fashion Week stories on Metro.Style</em></div>

<p><i>What began as a childhood spent by the sea now leads to MNL Fashion Week—and an upcoming exhibition in Paris.</i></p>

What began as a childhood spent by the sea now leads to MNL Fashion Week—and an upcoming exhibition in Paris.

Metro Exclusive: Jerome Lorico Paints A Tidal Escape Through Pleats and Sculptural Knitwear

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Metro Exclusive: Jerome Lorico Paints A Tidal Escape Through Pleats and Sculptural Knitwear

Metro.Style

Published September 05, 2026 11:30 AM PHT

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