After presenting her debut collection titled “Vivirá” in the global arena, 22-year-old Filipina designer and Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) alumna Bea Cruz won as the “Top Designer” among eight other designers at the 2020 Fashion Week San Diego (FWSD) last Oct. 17.
Aspiring to be like couturiers Georges Hobeika, Zuhair Murad, and Mischka Aoki, Cruz now imprints her name in the fashion industry worldwide as her startup brand “Bea Cruz PH” also garnered the Art & Beauty Behind Fashion 2020 Best Team award.
FWSD claims they are “the largest and most impactful fashion event in California,” and is founded by entrepreneur and professor Allison Andrews. Aside from its focus on the emerging designers worldwide, it is the only “bi-national” fashion week in the world; and filled with a thread of events for the whole year. 
Contemporary sophistication
In an online interview with The Benildean, Cruz, who hails from Negors Occidental, shared the story about her collection that now transcends its own victor beyond the seams.
“Vivirá is a Spanish word that means “will live.” The pieces were inspired from the silhouettes of the baro’t saya, panuelo and barong. This collection is about cultural clothing living beyond generations as fashion further evolves. And this is my modern take to it, living out Philippine traditional clothing to the youth culture,” Cruz explained.
As an FDM alumna, Cruz looked back remembering how she balanced her acads and lakads, stating as well that “[Benilde’s annual fashion event] Sinulid literally prepared me for this—taking on greater things that are once out of my reach. Doing extraordinary things in an extraordinary way.”
Meanwhile, Cruz described a Filipina designer by correlating “driven, passionate, [and] ambitious” words to every Filipina woman; depicting timeless femininity. Through her personal flair, she is also inspired by Filipino designer Monique Lhuillier in creating her pieces. 
Flaunting textile, showcasing culture
From representing the Benildean Community and the Philippines, Cruz has exemplified her grit, catapulting her personal style in craftsmanship. 
Despite an arduous experience of uncertainty together with COVID-19, Cruz also encountered obstacles which she conquered, “working under time constraints and nonsense anxiety (...) had me breaking down while sewing my garments even, haha! It took me about a year before calling it a collection,” Cruz added.
Through her 10-piece collection, the young Filipino designer amplifies how her modern-minimalist blend towards traditional Philippine attire transforms into a sultry twist of contemporary fashion. 
Likewise, Cruz is just getting started to a venture to behold. Weaving with determination, her stepping stone success paved the way as she learned from the asymmetrical patterns of pauses, delays, and rejections experiences. 
Filled with inspiration, she concluded: “We just have to trust the process even though it’s a tough one, do the work and never stop learning. If you have a vision, believe in it.”
Watch the first-ever virtual broadcast of FWSD here.
