Carla Gem Buyo

Metro Exclusive: PROUDRACE Finds the Extraordinary in Filipino Nostalgia at MNL Fashion Week

Article (news)

<p>What if being &ldquo;out of the norm&rdquo; is exactly the point? For <strong>MNL Fashion Week</strong>, <strong>PROUDRACE</strong> proudly presents <em>Kukur</em>, an ode to the kids who are always drawn to the unusual.&nbsp;</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/178876464735714.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Michelle Dee for PROUDRACE at MNL Fashion Week</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/17887646717377.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: PROUDRACE</span></span></span></div><p>The word &ldquo;kukur&rdquo; is a Filipino slang the designer grew up hearing from older relatives in the province, used when something looked unusual or simply did not fit the norm. PROUDRACE Creative Director <strong>Rik Rasos&nbsp;</strong>found himself looking back at the life I he has lived and the person he has become.&nbsp;</p><div><br></div><p style="text-align: center;">RELATED: <a href="https://metro.style/fashion/2026/9/7/hamu-abraham-guardian-and-mamuro-oki-mnl-fashion-week-2026-metro-exclusive-backstage-1500" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Metro Exclusive: HA.M&Uuml;&rsquo;s Curious Little Universe Is Full of Playful Forms and Bridalwear Reimagined</a></p><div><br></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/178876472467915.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: PROUDRACE</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/178876473605811.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: PROUDRACE</span></span></span></div><p>This year, that idea finds its way into the clothes through the label&rsquo;s familiar deconstruction and rework, now pushed further through tailoring, draping, and silhouettes that do not quite behave as expected. One of the collection&rsquo;s biggest experiments is fabric that was never really meant to be draped, reshaped into something entirely its own.</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/178876474663712.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: PROUDRACE</span></span></span></div><p>There is something almost nostalgic behind that impulse. As a child, Rik remembers playing with curtains and draping them all over himself and his playmates. Years later, that same instinct to manipulate fabric has become part of his design language.</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/178876476746013.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: PROUDRACE</span></span></span></div><p>It is a language he has been developing since 2010, when he first began designing, and one that remains deeply connected to Filipino culture. For Rik, being Filipino is not limited to Filipiniana or the familiar Maria Clara. It also lives in pop culture, humor, everyday references, and the lightheartedness that makes the culture distinctly its own.</p><div><br></div><p style="text-align: center;">RELATED: <a href="https://metro.style/fashion/2026/9/5/jerome-lorico-mnl-fashion-week-2026-metro-exclusive-backstage-1130" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Metro Exclusive: Jerome Lorico Paints A Tidal Escape Through Pleats and Sculptural Knitwear</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br></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/17887647804808.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: PROUDRACE</span></span></span></div><p>After the show, PROUDRACE will continue with a series of collaborations, something Rasos says he has grown increasingly open to. As for what comes after that, he is keeping it loose. Maybe another collection. Maybe a vacation. Maybe even farming.</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/17887647944575 copy.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Backstage at MNL Fashion Week: PROUDRACE</span></span></span></div><p>For now, he is following instinct, making clothes that are &ldquo;cool, sexy, crazy,&rdquo; and letting the next chapter figure itself out.</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/17887648043595.png" style="width: 960px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"><span class="fr-inner">Rik Rasos of PROUDRACE for MNL Fashion Week</span></span></span></div><div><em>Photographed by JP Olviga</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>With nostalgic karaoke, unconventional draping, and a celebration of the unusual, Rik Rasos closes MNL Fashion Week with <b>Kukur</b>.</p>

With nostalgic karaoke, unconventional draping, and a celebration of the unusual, Rik Rasos closes MNL Fashion Week with Kukur .

Metro Exclusive: PROUDRACE Finds the Extraordinary in Filipino Nostalgia

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Metro Exclusive: PROUDRACE Finds the Extraordinary in Filipino Nostalgia

Metro.Style

Published September 07, 2026 03:15 PM PHT

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Updated September 07, 2026 04:45 PM PHT

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