ANDI Amora, a graduate of the Philippine Women’s College of Davao Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Illustration, had always been fascinated with butterflies.
But following the murder of her 40-year-old brother last September 13, 2018, which until now remains unsolved, her fascination with butterflies led her to read more about the folklores that surround these garden staples.
Born of a full-blooded Mandaya mother, she was familiar with the Mandaya folklore that butterflies carry the souls of those who have passed on, her mourning and cry for justice made her read up more about butterfly legends and lore.
Unknown to her, that deep mourning over the elusive justice for her brother’s death would become her inspiration to grab two top awards in the 57th Japan International Fashion Design Competition besting 1,689 entries of 35 finalists from all over Asia.
Typhoon Hagibis, which made landfall on the night that the award ceremonies was to be held, damped the celebration a bit.
“I stayed with my sister during the typhoon in her apartment. We taped up the windows and stayed indoors watching Netflix eating snacks while the wind howled outside. Because of the typhoon the public viewing was canceled and judging was down in front of just the judges and models. I found out later that I had won two awards by email,” she said in an interview through Messenger.
Amora won the Japan Formal Association Award and the Fujiyoshida Chamber of Commerce President Award in the fashion design contest held at the Sugino Hall in Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan for her “Blue Morpho Butterfly”.
Amora, Jonas Andrew F. Amora in real life, got her fashion illustration diploma from PWC in 2009. She joined the contest earlier this year, submitting four sketches.
The butterfly-inspired design made it to the 35 entrants who were to bring their designs to Tokyo for judging. The 35 were announced last July 9, 2019.
“I am the child of a Mandaya storyteller, and in our ancient tales, the butterfly has always been known to carry the soul between lives.
The woven constructions are also symbolic of how my group weaves brightly colored natural fibers with neutrals. The bright blue here is a bold statement of color. The infrastructure of the weaving is stylistically Mandaya but shows the actual detail of the butterfly.
If you zoom in on them, you see the grids just like the tribal weaving. My piece is meant to transform the wearer into a beautiful and whimsical visage, beyond the ordinary,” her competition narrative on her design read. That is why she named her design “morpho”.
A resident of Compostela town of Compostela Valley, she went to Compostela Central Elementary School and the Assumption Academy of Compostela before enrolling at PWC for her bachelor’s degree.
Her family has been very supportive of her interests, she said, especially her mother whom she describes as a full-blooded Mandaya, whose native arts and crafts have been her inspiration as a child.
But it was her sister Ana who encouraged her to go to a fashion design school, while her Kuya Jericho, also a designer, taught her how to sew garments and draft patterns.
“As a child I grew up around the art of my Mandaya ancestors. Seeing the vivid weavings the proud tribe from my island inspired me.
I saw the women weaving and making colorful tapestries which fascinated me. I loved drawing and sketching and was designing dresses for dolls as a kid dreaming of being a fashion designer,” she said.