Carla Gem Buyo

Metro Exclusive: Antonina Revisits the Magic of Childhood Dress-Up With a Whimsical Collection

Article (news)

<p><strong>Antonina</strong> has been dressing up for as long as she can remember. As a child, she and her sisters would play in their mama&#39;s vintage clothes, many of them passed down from their grandmothers. It was an early glimpse of the kind of fashion that stayed with her: clothes with history, character, and something personal behind them.&nbsp;</p><div><br></div><p>Her collection for <strong>MNL Fashion Week</strong> feels like a distant memory coming gently back to light. Against a grass-filled set, floral headpieces and princess-like silhouettes seemed to emerge from the haze, evoking the feeling of wandering through an overgrown garden. Billowy dresses, sequined tank tops and blazers drifted down the runway like figures from a half-remembered daydream.&nbsp;</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 782px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17886647971277.png" style="width: 960px; display: block; height: auto;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: Antonina</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/178866484484414.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: Antonina</span></span></span></div><p>Antonina calls fashion her &ldquo;personal diary,&rdquo; using garments to put emotions, beliefs, and experiences into a form that other people can eventually make their own. It is an intimate way of looking at clothing, and one that has followed her throughout a career that began remarkably young.</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/178866526460613.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: Antonina</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/178866486258512.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Kylie Verzosa for Antonina at MNL Fashion Week</span></span></span></div><p>She started designing professionally at 21 and soon found herself presenting at <strong>MNL Fashion Week</strong>. A year later, she took her work to Tokyo Fashion Week. Then the pandemic brought everything to a halt. The pause was unexpected, but it gave her time to step back, reflect, and slowly find her way back to creating.</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/17886648927679.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: Antonina</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/178866497032810.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Michelle Dee for Antonina at MNL Fashion Week</span></span></span></div><p>Now, she returns to MNL Fashion Week with a collection that grew from &ldquo;a chance to pause,&rdquo; bringing a quieter mood to her work after the break. It feels less like a reset than a designer returning with a clearer sense of what she wants to say. And what she wants to see goes beyond her own label. Antonina hopes Filipino fashion receives stronger support, especially for the independent designers and small businesses that keep the industry moving.</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/17886652801286.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: Antonina</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/178866501388411.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Donny Pangilinan for Antonina at MNL Fashion Week</span></span></span></div><p>After the show, she plans to reconnect through a series of pop-ups throughout the year. For Antonina, this return is not just about being back on the runway. It is about being present again, and seeing where the work takes her 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/17886652023288.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: Antonina</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/17886652170075.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Nina Amoncio of Antonina at MNL Fashion Week</span></span></span></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>Enter a dreamlike sequence with Antonina's MNL Fashion Week 2026 collection.</p>

Metro Exclusive: Antonina Revisits the Magic of Childhood Dress-Up With a Whimsical Collection

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Metro Exclusive: Antonina Revisits the Magic of Childhood Dress-Up With a Whimsical Collection

Metro.Style

Published September 06, 2026 11:30 AM PHT

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Updated September 06, 2026 11:53 AM PHT

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