A number of Filipino footwear designers look to redefine what Pinoy-made footwear imply.
Greater than the regionally sourced weaves and fibers, it’s the spirit behind the designs that make them really Filipino. Woven into each pair aren’t simply the hopes, reminiscences, and cultural values that they purpose to protect, but additionally the Filipino footwear business they hope to rework.
And that spirit stepped into the highlight within the 2025 Worldwide Footwear Design Competitors (IFDC) in Guangzhou, China, the place six native designers gained main recognition throughout varied classes.
Unyx Sta. Ana, president and founding father of Marikina manufacturing firm Zapateria, a five-generation footwear enterprise, expressed delight for the profitable designs.
“Whereas we’re not new to this platform, having secured wins in earlier editions, I’m glad to watch that our craftsmanship in footwear development stays aggressive among the many different entries from overseas, and our design conceptualization has constantly been grounded and well-thought of.”
Every of the profitable footwear was meticulously crafted in Marikina, the “Shoe Capital of the Philippines,” a metropolis famed for its centuries-old shoemaking business, celebrated for its globally aggressive high quality and the distinct experience of Marikeño sapateros (shoemakers).
‘Aranya’ by Ely Edullan
Aranya by Ely Is aware of Enterprises, designed by its proprietor Ely Edullan, clinched first place within the Enterprise Class.
That includes daring, festive designs, the footwear attracts inspiration from the colourful kiping decorations of the Pahiyas Pageant in Lucban, Quezon, which honors San Isidro Labrador, the patron saint of farmers.
“I need to convey happiness and hope regardless of the troubles we face as Filipinos, however past that, I need to spotlight the significance of honoring our farmers,” Edullan shared.
The design’s identify, Aranya, stems from the Hindu Sanskrit, which means forest or a peaceable, bountiful place. This symbolizes the abundance and fortune Edullan needs to mirror in her creation.
“Nakakatuwa rin po in the course of the competitors sa Guangzhou nung pumunta kami. Parang most photogenic po siya. Lahat po ng dumadaan magpapapicture po kay Aranya kahit yung decide,” Edullan stated with a smile, recalling how her design grew to become a crowd favourite.
(We have been completely satisfied in the course of the comepetition in Guangzhou. It was like essentially the most photogenic shoe. Everybody who handed by needed to have an image with Aranya, even the judges.)
Edullan’s journey started lengthy earlier than Aranya’s success. Rising up in her father’s machine restore enterprise in Marikina, she was uncovered to the potential of discarded leather-based scraps. On the age of 16, she was in a position to merge her enterprise acumen and love for designing and turning scraps into slippers.
What started with 5 sapateros has grown to twenty workers, together with aged and individuals with disabilities, whom she proudly helps. Throughout the pandemic, Edullan turned to reside promoting, connecting together with her “mga ka-leather” clients to make sure her workers might proceed to offer for his or her households.
‘Perro’s Freedom’ by Bon Marter
Bon Marter’s Perro’s Freedom, manufactured by Loritess, gained first runner-up within the Enterprise Class. It’s a poignant commentary on the customarily missed actuality of stray and sheltered animals confined in cages, as Marter defined.
Marter’s design is a tribute to his deep love for animals, particularly his 13 rescued cats, whose names are engraved on the enduring midsole of Marter’s creation, alongside the names of the pets of the Perro makers — the sapateros, assemblers, sample, higher, and heel makers, and everybody else concerned in crafting this distinctive pair.
Marter’s journey into design was private. Rising up in Marikina, he typically observed his classmates getting new footwear yearly, whereas his mom purchased him one-size bigger footwear that he might put on till the subsequent yr.
“Yung mga schoolmates ko po kasi na yun, principally yung mother and father nila ay sapatero po from Marikina (Most of my schoolmates’ mother and father have been shoemakers from Marikina),” Marter shared.
And that’s how he obtained serious about shoemaking.
At present, Marter is engaged on creating replicas and industrial variations of Perro’s Freedom to leverage partnerships with Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). He plans to donate each cent from the potential gross sales to help teams and organizations that assist stray and sheltered animals.
‘Piñahon’ by Hazel Roldan
Successful second runner-up within the Particular person Male Class, Konzept-made Piñahon is a historic and inventive narrative conveyed by the design of dressmaker Hazel Roldan — a considerate homage to the evolution of the barong tagalog, reimagined in footwear.
Made with piña fiber, banana cotton textile developed by the Division of Science and Expertise – Philippine Textile Analysis Institute (DOST-PTRI), and real leather-based, Piñahon creatively merges wealthy heritage and innovation, in line with DOST-PTRI.
Its elegant floral embroidery, Laguna’s calado-style cutwork, and refined Baybayin particulars mirror the intricate artistry that make Filipino craftsmanship distinct.
“I referred to as it Piñahon, which is a play on piña (cloth from pineapple leaf fibers) and panahon (time), as a result of the barong tagalog has modified by way of time when it comes to the way you see it. First, it was an indication of oppression as a result of Filipinos have been compelled to put on sheer cloth in order that we will’t maintain any weapons, and into changing into an emblem of opulence,” Roldan defined.
For her, the barong symbolizes transformation. And very like the garment that impressed it, Roldan’s Piñahon walks by way of time, layered with historical past, wealthy in intricate artistry, and grounded in quiet resilience.
‘Pamana’ by Dani Borrero
Dani Borrero’s Pamana, manufactured by the well-known Zapateria, gained second runner-up within the Particular person Youngsters’s Class and was impressed by her insights on the subject of transnational households as she’s presently taking her grasp’s diploma in Household Life and Baby Improvement in UP Diliman, Faculty of Dwelling Economics.
“I needed to make Pamana to be a commemorative piece. Not only for the immigrant mother and father, but additionally for the immigrant kids particularly. That’s why I made a kids’s shoe,” Borrero shared.
Pamana speaks to the journey of Filipino immigrant kids, whose mother and father had left their homeland seeking higher alternatives. The design displays the emotional weight of this transnational expertise.
Borrero expressed that on the finish of the day, the true pamana of Filipino mother and father isn’t just the privileges and alternatives their kids get to expertise overseas, however the cultural heritage values and id they move down.
“Kasi marami silang privileges eh. And sana ibalik nila yun. Bumalik sila dito at i-share kung ano mga data nila para matulungan i-uplift yung bayan natin at yung pagka-Pilipino natin. Yun yung pangarap ko,” Borrero stated, emphasizing how important it’s to remain linked to our Filipino roots, regardless of the place we’re on the earth, particularly when lucky sufficient to benefit from the privileges of dwelling overseas.
(They’ve many privileges. And hopefully, they offer again. They arrive again to share data that might assist uplift the nation and the Filipinos. That’s my dream.)
Borrero, together with Edullan, have been the one profitable Filipino designers who managed to journey to China for the competitors. She went there not with the expectation of profitable however to correctly doc the expertise and hold her fellow delegates up to date.
“I imply, truthfully, after I went as much as the rostrum, I wasn’t even ready, I couldn’t imagine it,” Borrero chuckled. “My outfit? Hilarious.”
As a self-proclaimed “chismosang tita (gossiping aunt),” she simply needed to offer her fellow Filipino delegates one thing to look again on, like good photographs they may share to associates and households.
‘Alkab’ by Fred Leysa
Within the Particular person Woman’s Boot Class, 24-year-old dressmaker and educator Fred Leysa’s Alkab, manufactured by Nifty Footwear, made a daring assertion of queer id, incomes second runner-up.
Alkab — bakla (homosexual) spelled backward — was impressed by the idea of masks queer people typically put on to fulfill societal expectations.
“I needed to inform a narrative that’s essential at this time: queer id. The faces that the queer neighborhood places on to slot in, to reside with out worry,” Leysa defined.
For Leysa, Alkab was his manner of conveying the complexity of dwelling as a Filipino queer particular person, capturing each the transformation and the refined darkness that always accompany the necessity for self-preservation within the queer expertise.
The shoe itself was deeply private, crafted utilizing Leysa’s personal shoe final — a mildew custom-made to his distinctive foot form — as he needed to mirror the fusion of perform and emotion, significantly in his advocacy for queer footwear.
Leysa’s entry into footwear design started with a love for style sparked at 18 and honed all through his faculty years. Although initially set to comply with in his household’s medical footsteps, he shortly realized style is the place he really belongs.
His private wrestle with discovering footwear that match — being gender-fluid and wanting girls’s footwear with a bigger, wider male foot — prompted him to design with the queer neighborhood in thoughts.
Leysa initially confronted challenges reminiscent of guaranteeing compliance with native competitors rules, whereas incorporating indigenous supplies and textiles. He admitted he doesn’t establish as a cultural or historic designer, however he selected to leverage his strengths as a up to date artist, mixing artistic expression with the struggles of at this time, significantly of the Filipino queer neighborhood.
Leysa was declared grand winner of the tenth Filipino Footwear Design Competitors held final April 11, the native occasion that chosen the 15 delegates for the 14th IFDC.
‘La Reina de Oriente’ by Maya Castro
Jeremiah “Maya” Castro, a 26-year-old Marikina resident, took house second runner-up within the Particular person Feminine Fashionable Class together with his gorgeous creation, La Reina de Oriente, manufactured by Roweliza.
Impressed by Manila Carnival Queen Purificacion “Pura” Villanueva Kalaw, the shoe embodies power, magnificence, and feminine empowerment — qualities that outlined Pura’s trailblazing legacy as a girls suffragist and the Philippines’ first magnificence queen.
“Lagi ko sinasabi (I at all times say), I need the Filipinos to be reminded that each vote counts, and vote properly. That’s Pura Villanueva Kalaw. Naging motto ko na rin ang motto niya (Her motto grew to become my motto),” Castro stated, sharing his private connection to Pura’s advocacy.
Castro, a son of a former Marikina sapatero, has at all times been immersed on the earth of expertise, and his background in dressmaking helped him push boundaries in shoe design.
He began out in tailoring throughout senior highschool, persevering with by way of faculty with a ardour for creating. La Reina de Oriente initially started as a males’s shoe, however Castro’s personal experiences with heartbreak and empowerment led him to reimagine it as an emblem of girls’s power.
“Yung producer ko is woman-led (My producer is woman-led). Many of the producers from FFDC are woman-led,” Castro famous, reflecting on the poetic alignment between Pura’s advocacy and the sturdy women-led companies that thrive in Marikina at this time.
What’s the sting of Marikina sapateros?
These designers have labored carefully with Marikina artisans they usually’re fast to spotlight the extraordinary talent and dedication of the folks behind each shoe.
“It takes a neighborhood to construct Marikina made-shoes. Think about sporting a pair created by Marikina artisans who helped us craft masterpieces,” Castro identified.
And to maintain up with international traits, Castro thinks there ought to be extra coaching for native designers and help for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by way of empowering establishments just like the Philippine Footwear Federation, Inc. (PFFI).
Marter echoes this sentiment, noting that one of many issues hindering Marikina’s success, other than the politicization of business initiatives, is the shortage of generational data switch.
“The artisans are extremely expert, however there’s a niche in passing down these methods, he stated
Roldan additionally speaks of the spectacular artistry of Marikina’s craftsmen, declaring that although they won’t admit it, their sense of style and high quality is deeply embedded in them.
To protect native craftsmanship and uplift the business, businesses just like the Division of Commerce and Trade – Nationwide Capital Area (DTI-NCR) and DOST-PTRI have launched key initiatives.
Ferdinand Angeles, DTI’s supervising commerce business improvement specialist on the Middle for Worldwide Commerce Expositions and Missions (CITEM), highlights the significance of presidency help — reminiscent of coaching packages and shared service amenities — in sustaining the workforce.
He famous the decline of Marikina’s footwear sector post-pandemic however stays optimistic, citing experiences from companions like PFFI that present indicators of restoration and enterprise stabilization.
DTI-NCR additionally continues to coach new expert staff and supply MSMEs with sources to spice up manufacturing.
In the meantime, DOST-PTRI advances materials innovation by way of its SAFATOS (Footwear and Footwear Equipment from the R&D on Textile-based Omnibus Options) program, introducing sustainable, regionally sourced supplies like banana fibers, coco coir, and bamboo.
Past supplies, DOST-PTRI goals to construct a sustainable ecosystem for collaboration throughout textile and footwear sectors.
“We’re presently in negotiations with business gamers, together with Nifty Footwear, Gibi, Konzept Footwear, Zapateria, and Inventive Definitions which have already expressed curiosity in utilizing the varied textile materials developments, sizing system, and modern footwear product improvement,” a DOST-PTRI consultant stated.
Younger designers, native artisans can thread business collectively
A rising collaboration between younger designers and native artisans in Marikina is reshaping the footwear business. Occasions just like the Filipino Footwear Design Competitors (FFDC) and the Worldwide Footwear Design Competitors (IFDC) showcase this synergy, merging innovation with conventional craftsmanship.
“The FFDC is a good alternative for designers to work with artisans to create their very own footwear,” Borrero stated.
Leysa added, “It’s our era’s duty to introduce contemporary new concepts… it’s as much as us to bridge the hole between the brand new and the normal. This connection might help generate contemporary designs, construct manufacturers, and create jobs.”
Roger Py, PFFI director normal and a world-class producer and exporter recognized for being the maker of Gibi, underscores this shift, recalling:
“I used to be dealing with it myself for about seven years (the entries handed to IFDC), however nothing was taking place. I wasn’t profitable. In 2018, I handed it on to the youthful era, to Zapateria, they usually gained the primary yr immediately. Since then, I’ve left it to them to deal with.”
Edullan additionally hopes producers embrace e-commerce and collaborate with younger abilities to make sure the business thrives in the long term.
Filipinos, stroll the discuss
Marter, whose design was awarded as Greatest in Story Execution on the tenth FFDC, highlights {that a} really Filipino product just isn’t merely outlined by the indigenous supplies it’s constructed from, however by the story it carries.
And so, in a world pushed by fleeting traits, Filipino designers are strolling a unique path — one rooted in which means.
However because the Marikina and Philippine footwear business continues to evolve, it’s crucial that buyers additionally play their half. Roldan, who advocates for sustainability and supporting native merchandise, stresses the significance of buying regionally made footwear.
“I believe visibility is required, possibly simply strolling the discuss would assist. Sporting native will spark conversations,” she stated.
The Marikina footwear business wants the help of each native and worldwide customers. The collaboration between artisans, designers, authorities businesses, and customers is significant for the business’s revival.
By selecting Marikina-made footwear, residents can contribute to the resurgence of Filipino craftsmanship and assist safe a sustainable future for the business.
As the worldwide highlight shines on native designers, it’s time for Filipinos to step ahead, put on native, and stroll the discuss. – Rappler.com
