Fil-Am malong-inspired pieces at Paris Fashion Week

Piece designed by Lydia Querian for Daily Malong at Paris Fashion Week 2023 | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

San Francisco — Filipino-American fashion line Daily Malong featured its “Rooted and Current” collection on the runways of Paris Fashion Week 2023.

The 13-piece collection was presented at Le Salon des Miroirs. “We are proud to have presented our vibrant new collection at Paris Fashion Week,” said founder and designer Lydia Querian.

“We are committed to celebrating and promoting indigenous woven fabrics from the Philippines,” she said.

According to Querian, presented in Paris was a mix of summer wear—tops and bottoms, skirts, and wide brimmed hats. A couple of autumn wear—with coats and trenches—also made it to the runway, said Querian.

Honoring the malong

“It was an overwhelming experience,” said Querian of the opportunity to be part of Paris Fashion Week, one of the biggest fashion events in the world.

It was not Querian’s first fashion week, though, as she had also presented her creations at New York Fashion Week 2021 and 2022.

She said Daily Malong was honored to feature “relatively unspoken parts of our culture in the global fashion world.”

“The common theme of Filipino fashion is Filipiniana and there are a lot more beyond it inspired from different ethnolinguistic groups in the Philippines,” she said. “Our culture is so diverse that it is beautiful to present many other cultures in the Philippines and change the monolithic narrative that we are all used to hearing.”

Creativity, wearability

Having worked on this collection since late last year, Querian said she sought to emphasize on creativity, wearability, and pedigree.

“We want to bring contemporary relevance to the timeless beauty of Filipino Indigenous weaving from many different ethnolinguistic groups,” she said. “Each piece in the collection, from intricate weaves to bold embroideries, tells a unique story, drawing deeply from oral tradition and innovation.”

“This collection is a celebration of cultural heritage and a testament to the inspiring fusion of past and present,” she added.

Extensive research and collaboration with indigenous and weaving communities in the Philippines were key to the collection.

Daily Malong, founded by designer Lydia Querian, presented at Paris Fashion Week 2023 | CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Querian said her inspiration for the collection were the “rivers and mountains from [my] research journey.”

The line is “harmoniously informed by a blend of ancestral knowledge and modern fashion trends,” she said.

According to Querian, among textiles featured in the collection were cotton inaul from Sultan Kudarat, t’nalak from Lake Cebu, inabel from Ilocos and La Union, and those from weavers in Kuantan, Kinarayan, Binakol, and Kusikos.

The textiles used, according to Querian, included:

• Yakan weaves from Basilan and Zamboanga
• Langkit weaves from Marawi
• Kalinga weaves from Lubuagan
• Embroidery pieces from Sungco, Bukidnon

“Daily Malong’s mission is to bring the Indigenous cultural inspiration from the Philippines to the global stage,” said Querian.