Designer to the beauty queens, Bessie Besana reflects on his current collection–one that is strong, bold, and fearless.
Related: Meet Your Newest Set Of Beauty Queens From Binibining Pilipinas 2021
Dressing up the most beautiful queens will always be associated to the name Bessie Besana. From Pia Wurtzbach to Catriona Grey, name any beauty queen and Besana has probably dressed them. Beauty pageants, in fact, has been the life and blood of Besana—even as a kid. “In 1994, my aunt got married and this was the first time I got to see a custom couture gown,” he says. “I was in awe with the details of her and my cousin’s flower girl gowns with all the ribbon detailing at the back and the intricate beads and lacework. I vividly remember scolding my cousin for not taking care of the train of her gown. In the same year, Miss Universe was held in the Philippines and I was in awe watching the Filipiniana Costume showcase and the evening gown segment of th pageant. This is when my interest in custom gowns started,” he shares.
His journey to fashion design didn’t start that early for Besana, as he came from a more traditional family who valued stability at the top of one’s career. With Besana’s love for the math and geometry, it was clear for him to take up a degree in civil engineering. He found success in the industry even working in Hong Kong in 2014 managing multiple properties across Taiwan, Beijing and Shanghai. But at the back of his head, he cannot forget an event back in 2006 that would eventually be his driving force to finally dive into the world of design. “I attended the graduation fashion show of the batch of 2006 Fashion Design students of the college of St. Benilde. I was in awe with the talent these designers have and I eventually became good friends with them which includes Veejay Floresca, Ziggy Savella, Jona Ballaran and eventually got introduced to Jerome Lorico, Eric Delos Santos and Martin Bautista. They became my group and I will always volunteer to help them in fashion week and that really piqued my interest that maybe, someday I could be like them,” he shares. It was this memory that eventually helped him decide to pack his bags and return to the Philippines and try his luck in fashion.
He immediately enrolled himself in a fashion school and pursued fashion as both his passion and career. The arts and fashion, he figured, was very much related to his civil engineering course. “Just like what I have done in engineering, garments start from patterns and patterns are a play on geometry. In fashion school, I was always the student who gets the pattern process right and I greatly attribute that to the drafting classes I took in engineering,” he says. That is why Besana can easily move from beautiful gowns to more technical pieces.
His experience in both worlds have certainly paid off especially with his new collection entitled “Pavement.” “The inspiration for my collection ‘Pavement’ is the people I see in the streets. Speeding through life with a purpose and certain goals to achieve. That’s why I wanted to create pieces that are bold and fearless,” he shares. The colors of the collection are muted but the structure is what gives it the edge that is different from basic business wear. In this collection one can easily see Besana’s connection to geometry as sheer panels and cut-outs are big details of the collection.
The rawness of each piece coupled with clean construction makes the collection a balanced one but radical in perspective. Imagine a woman walking down the street wearing a piece from this collection and you’ll instantly know that she is more than just the basic. Besana has proven that money is not the end all be all. That one needs to find the balance of satisfaction beyond financial stability. In this journey he has expertly maneuvered his way into a creative industry with his passion for structured subjects like maths and geometry. And it is in this versatility and resourcefulness is what excites us for what’s to come for Bessie Besana.
This Designer Profile on Bessie Besana is also found in MEGA’s October issue now available in Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photography JAI MURCILLO
Creative Direction VHEE CO
Makeup CARISSA CIELO MEDVED (Karen)
Hair and Grooming MYCKE ARCANO (Karen and Vincent)
Models KAREN MENDOZA & VINCENT JARINA
The post From Beauty Queens To Streetwear–Bessie Besana Introduces A New Collection appeared first on MEGA.
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