Today's fashion industry typically races against the clock, what with innumerable fleeting trends and countless fresh drops. Amidst this whirlwind of trends, however, local labels like Idyllic Summers still champion sustainability and wearability.
Drawing inspiration from childhood memories and traditional Filipino garments, their current lineup for PHx Station is a testament to their artisanal craft and sartorial prowess. From hand-loom stripes in Iloilo's Hablon textile to the spirit-warding Binakol sourced from Abra, each item has been carefully designed and crafted to narrate a story of heritage. Delve deeper into these stories ahead in Preview's exclusive interview with Idyllic Summers founder Steffi Cua.
Preview Creative Spotlight: Steffi Cua on Idyllic Summers for PHx Station
Can you give us an overview of the concept or theme behind your collection? What was your creative vision and how is it connected to your design ethos?
"At the heart of Idyllic Summers is craft. We work with artisans and handicrafts, oftentimes traditional and endemic, which are then approached with our contemporary lens. We’ve been schooled in both Filipino and British sensibilities, so our creative decisions are guided by both. Summer inspires us, where colors and life are more vivid and saturated. When we create, we always go back to the feeling of insouciance and freedom, reminiscent of our childhood summers."
Are there any particular influences that shaped your collection? How did they inspire your work?
"We looked at conceptual artists of our time, such as Daniel Buren and Victor Vasarely, to guide the collections. To simplify, Buren is known for alternating stripes in large formats, whilst Vasarely is credited as the leader of the Op-Art movement. Both artists dictated our textile designs."
What are the main design elements in your collection? Are there any specific fabrics, materials, motifs, silhouettes, or colors that defined your collection?
"95% of our textiles are designed in-house and are woven specially for us by our partner artisans from across the Philippines. Stripes were handloomed in Iloilo, where the traditional textile Hablon originates from. Hablon is usually found in patterns of checks and stripes. Our Op-Art textile, Binakol, was sourced from Abra in Luzon. Binakol is a traditional textile endemic to the Cordillera Region and is believed to ward off spirits and negative energies. Piña, our pineapple fiber textile, is made in collaboration with the expert weavers of La Herminia in Aklan. These come in three formats: Flora Piña, Silver Lining, and Gumamela.
For our silhouettes, we’re fascinated with the ease and simplicity of traditional 'folk' garments from across the world, which are cut very differently from modern garments. They are more geometric in shape, hardly work with any bust or hip darts, and only use ties as closures."
What methods or crafting techniques did you use to construct your pieces? How long did it take to complete this collection?
"Weaves are at the center of the collection. It takes our partner artisans about a day to weave a meter, so it takes us longer than the average to create collections. From design to initial sample, it can take us a minimum of three months. We have a few accent pieces featuring hand-embroideries of the T’Boli tribe in South Cotabato and hand-smocking by expert artisans in Negros. As both are done meticulously by hand, they can take weeks up to a month to create one singular piece."
What makes this collection stand out from your previous work?
"We don’t believe in collections in the traditional sense, like cleaning the house and starting afresh every season. Our collections build on top of previous ones. For example, our Judy Caftan evolved into a Judy 2.0 Caftan, where the pattern is slightly extended towards the sides to make a more dramatic pleat when brought in towards the body.
We have what we call 'rolling collections,' following our exposure to Alaïa’s business model. Each season is new, following the previous, but no hard lines exist between them."
What specific message do you wish to convey through this collection? How do you want others to feel after seeing your work?
"Our pieces exist for women to enjoy life in, feel free in, and be proud of. They’re all consciously and carefully created by Filipino hands."
Can you share any fun facts or unknown trivia about any of your pieces?
"Our Flora Piña, which was our first foray into Piña and is one of our bestselling textiles, was designed primitively with only a hotel room marker and paper, no rulers or Adobe Illustrator to assist. We were locked in a 44-square-meter room for 21 days on a travel quarantine to Singapore, proving creativity likes a challenge."
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