This School Lets You Learn From Philippine Fashion's Best—And Now They've Opened Scholarships!
F.A.B. Creatives Manila is an endeavor seventeen years in the making.
“The vision started sometime during the early 2000s,” says its founder, fashion designer Jojie Lloren. “Capitalization was the main deterrent then. It was shelved, re-discussed, shelved again, and again, until things fell into place.”
Finally, in October of 2017, it opened to the public and welcomed aspiring fashion professionals all around the Philippines. The school, which Jojie says is a “very old dream” of his and his friend Pidge Reyes, hopes to give individuals who want to enter the fashion profession a “better foundation.”
“We’ve always wanted a fashion program that would be more specialized,” he adds. Jojie admits that though Filipino designers have the ability to blend Eastern and Western influences and make our designs “Filipino with an international appeal,” the fashion industry in the country lacks “one very good, studied, and organized road map to steer us towards a well-defined vision.”
F.A.B. hopes to bridge that gap, and thus it was established to enhance and promote the Philippine fashion industry, doing so by offering individuals opportunities to learn everything about fashion and its related arts, as well as other business applications. F.A.B. equips students with the necessary skills and training that is required of an actualized fashion professional, beyond design: introduction to sewing, womenswear/menswear design, designing a fashion collection, portfolio making, fashion writing, and so on.
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Best of all, the workshops aren’t just for people looking to pursue a career in fashion—even hobbyists who are merely interested in the craft can enroll. “F.A.B. workshops are open to everybody as long as they are interested and willing to learn,” says the school.
As the school opened, Jojie and his team felt nothing but pride. “To me,” he says, “it probably was how a mother feels after delivering her firstborn. Just like her, dreams for the baby are conceived and [there’s] a bit of trepidation on how she can properly rear her offspring.” Since 2017, the school has boasted of a long and talented roster of mentors, from Jojie himself to Inno Sotto, Mich Dulce, and Sara Black. “They are willing to share their expertise, work ethics, and experience,” Jojie tells Metro.Style, adding “that they are a source of pride.”
The couturier is also incredibly proud of the mentoring system that’s embedded in the very fabric of F.A.B.’s being: “Here, students are closely mentored by practicing professionals who are leaders in their respective fields. The one-year comprehensive programme provides them with the necessary competencies and knowledge to embark on a fashion career in a very short period of time,” he says.
Today, nearly two decades since Jojie and Pidge began dreaming about F.A.B., the school is opening its doors to interested and like-minded dreamers and creatives who want to experience that year-long comprehensive fashion program and be mentored by no one else but the leaders of the Philippine fashion industry. Through scholarships, aspiring fashion professionals can attain a solid career in fashion.
The scholarship will cover all the fees for all 21 courses of the program—from the creative process to fashion merchandising and everything in between—and candidates will be screened according to their financial capability, level of interest in fashion, and aptitude towards a career in fashion.
“It is simply my calling,” Jojie says, when asked what made him love fashion. For those who feel the same way, F.A.B. Creatives may be the perfect fit for you.
Interested applicants may submit their applications now through August 15, 2019. For more information, email fabcreativesmanila@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page.
Lead photos from Fab Creatives Manila
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