IVARLUSKI X BITAGCOL: A COLLAB WRAPPED FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The Ivarluski Aseron × JoAnn Bitagcol holiday popup at Power Plant Mall in Makati City opened on Dec. 1 with the kind of energy I've learned to recognize through years of covering Christmas retail: early shoppers with purposeful strides, women slipping in and out of cleverly cut tops, the soft panic of someone realizing the piece they’re eyeing is the last one in their size.

- CHECHE V. MORAL

Soft and sheer: Layered lacey coat by Bitagcol

It’s a familiar December hum —equal parts festivity and urgency — and this collaboration fits right into that mood, offering the kind of thoughtful fashion that begs to be gifted for oneself or others, worn, and kept long after the parols are packed away.

Aseron and Bitagcol didn’t attempt a full-blown joint collection. Instead, they worked on a couple of collaborative pieces, fusing their signatures — her graphic photography prints and his banig-weave detailing — in ways that feel intuitive, almost inevitable. The rest of the popup is a conversation between their individual collections, each one distinct but surprisingly complementary, the way well-paired voices sometimes are.

Aseron took on this project— labeled Ivarluski—like a quiet dare to himself. His universe is made-to-order — controlled, meticulous, constructed for one wearer at a time. Ready-to-wear is a different rhythm, but he warms to it. “It’s outside my comfort zone, but I’m having fun expressing my creativity,” he says with a chuckle.