This fashion design bigwig can cook, too

Avel Bacudio is a renowned designer who designs and dresses no less than President Marcos and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos. In 1998, he was recognized at the Asian Fashion Grand Prix Contest. In 2002, he won the People’s Choice award at the Concours International des Jeunes Createurs de Mode held in Manila, which gave him the opportunity to present his designs in Paris. In 2012, he was part of the Young Fashion Designers Show in China; and in 2014, he was honored as Asia’s Most Influential Designer at the Mercedes-Benz STYLO Asia Fashion Week in Malaysia, where he was awarded by no less than Jimmy Choo.

But being a foodie and not a fashionista, I only met him through Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, who, though an economist, has been very supportive of Avel’s advocacy for promoting Philippine weaves.

Pangandaman wore Avel Bacudio couture for the State of the Nation Address (Sona) last July. The design highlighted a gold Karanda pattern inspired by Maguindanaon brassware, which really glistened against the strikingly purple long gown that was accented with a giant bow.

I had the pleasure of joining Pangandaman for the Sona and also wore Bacudio couture, which likewise used Mindanaoan weaves on traditional Filipiniana butterfly sleeves. It was gorgeous!

Last Monday, Aug. 19, Avel celebrated his birthday at a restaurant in Ortigas. But to our surprise, we were served dishes cooked by Avel himself! Aside from being a designer, he is a very talented home cook, too!

He is especially keen on cooking dishes from his hometown of Buhi in Camarines Sur. A hardcore Bikolano—he also has the honor of dressing the Our Lady of Peñefrancia for the 100th anniversary of her canonical coronation this September—he loves to cook spicy, coconut-based dishes such as laing and kuhol sa gata.

He shares that he learned to cook as a child, being the ninth of 10 children. When his mother passed away while he was only in high school, he sold malunggay in school to help make ends meet. Today, this malunggay is cooked like his couture—blending heirloom and opulence—using the traditional recipe of cooking it in coconut milk (gata) but accented with fish roe.

Designer and Philippine weaves advocate Avel Bacudio serves his signature porkless laing on his birthday. —MARGAUX SALCEDO

He can also give the French escargot a run for its money with his Bikolano kuhol (golden apple snails), which is much easier to eat as the snails are deshelled and simply sauteed with his own bagoong (shrimp paste), ginger, onions, garlic and siling labuyo (wild chili).

When he is not cooking, he focuses all his creative energy into developing clothes using fabrics created from Filipino fruits! His latest creations are modern barongs using Philippine tropical fabrics developed by the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) of the Department of Science and Technology. These are fabrics from natural textile fibers using not just the usual piña and abaca but now also using bananas!

One of these barongs was gifted by Mr. Marcos to Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam when he visited Manila on Aug. 15 to Aug. 17.

Using these fabrics, Bacudio has created a whole line, with his Spring and Summer Collection exhibited just last June at the KatHABI Fashion Innovation Show in New York, organized by the DOST-PTRI through its director Julius Leaño Jr.

I love how the DOST-PTRI has been supporting our local weavers and how they are developing technology that can transform fruits into fashion!

With Avel’s genius in playing with fabrics—he is, after all, an alum of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York—we can certainly upscale and even mainstream clothes using Filipino tropical fabrics! I can’t wait for banana barongs to be the next big thing in fashion. And for Avel to make his laing and bagoong public, too! INQ