Friday, September 05, 2008
Tribalbeat
By Clint Holton P. Potestas
EVERY line tells a story. And every beat tells an origin.
Narrating stories through lines and figures, Manuel Tumaque delivers an exotic wonder from a tribal society. His collection, Linyas y Figuras, is where the future of his fashion lies.
“I usually get my inspirations from literature, the arts, and culture. In this collection the T’nalak cloth, a hand-woven textile by the Filipino ethnic groups, and the T’boli tribe in South Cotabato, inspired me by making the T’nalak prints visible,” he says.
Fabrics, like satin and silk, are draped and pleated to emphasize lines and figures in the construction.
According to him, these fabrics are inexpensive and are available in the market. But he is challenged to expand his creativity from ordinary materials. However, he opts to retain the basic cut to subdue intricate embellishments.
Tumaque may have dispensed with pastel colors, but he has recently devoted his clothes to brown and its various shades.
Hence, this earth hue complements ethnic concepts.
His fashion influences include Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, and John Paul Gaultier. Looking up to them, Tumaque lives by Lacroix’s statement: “Too much is not enough.”
“Every time I conceptualize my design, I’m always pushing through my limitations of ideas. I want my designs to be always outrageous, but in a way simple, fashionable and wearable,” Tumaque clarifies.
Even as a child, he made clothes for his dolls. He recounts the time when he sewed fabric remnants into gowns and skirts. Style is truly innate.
Tumaque’s Linyas Y Figuras tells a story of the hidden wealth our native culture has. But it is the beat of his heart that guides every stroke.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (September 5, 2008 issue)
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