NAUTICAL THE THE FASHION: ROMANCE OF THE SEA

Nautical fashion has long captivated the world, bringing a lot of positive vibes: memories of ocean voyages, maritime adventures and the romance of the sea.

- RICKY TOLEDO & CHITO VIJANDRE

With all the water that surrounds us in our archipelago, we became natural seafarers—probably as early as 40,000 years ago—based on archaeological evidence of tools and deep-sea fish specimens in excavation sites in Mindoro.

These findings suggest that early Filipinos had the knowledge and technology to fish in deep waters, requiring specialized boats, fishing gear and an understanding of fish migration patterns.

Our maritime technology then predates by thousands of years civilizations like the Austronesians or Polynesians who have been credited with early long-distance ocean travel.

For centuries, Filipinos engaged in active trade with neighboring countries, exploring and navigating the surrounding seas and were trusted sailors for expeditions and battles during the Spanish colonial period when they also comprised a significant portion of the crew for the galleon trade that operated between Manila and Acapulco.

Filipinos also worked on various vessels, including American and Canadian trading, and surveying missions as well as ocean liners. The Philippines is now considered the "manning capital of the world," supplying a substantial portion of the world's seamen.

With many Filipino seafarers all over the world, we were already familiar with nautical fashion which became a craze in the 19th century when Queen Victoria commissioned a child's sailor uniform for her four-year-old son, Albert Edward or Bertie, the future King Edward VII, in 1846.