Ternocon Goes Sporty: Athletic Filipiniana Takes the Field

All roads lead to the SM MOA football pitch on July 27 where the first Palarong Ternocon will be held.

- By LENA MIRANDA

The one-night-only event, spearheaded by Bench in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines, will feature six of the country's top and emerging designers who will interpret their own visions of athleisure. A portmanteau of the words athletic and leisure, athleisure refers to apparel that is sporty in design or construction but can also be worn off the courts, beyond the tracks or, in this case, outside the football pitch.

Since 2018, Bench has been mounting the biannual Ternocon competition with the noble aim of bringing the terno into the 21st century. It is just one of the advocacies of the country's leading lifestyle brand that has long established its support of the local design community. Bench is also behind exhibits and the publishing of books that help propel their advocacy further.

For Palarong Ternocon, the participating designers were each tasked to create a seven-piece Filipiniana collection that would appeal to the Pinoy youth. That the items be affordably priced and available for potential buyers were key factors the designers likewise took into consideration. The six chosen designers are Lenora "Len" Cabili, Carl Jan "CJ" Cruz, Hannah Adrias, Glyn Alley Magtibay, Renz Reyes and Jo Ann Bitagcol.

As the founder of the apparel brand Filip + Inna, Cabili wants to create pieces that celebrate and reflect Filipino craftsmanship and culture. Her brand's mission is not just to create but also to revive and preserve Filipino traditions in danger of becoming lost or forgotten. To this end, she works with weavers, embroiderers and beaders from all over the country.