Every August, in time with the Higalaay Festival, Cagayan de Oro transforms into a runway. The Mindanao Fashion Summit 2025, now on its 14th year, once again proved why the City of Golden Friendship is steadily claiming its place as the south’s fashion capital.
Conceived by Gil Macaibay III of the Oro Fashion Designers Guild (OFDG), the Summit was built on a bold mission: to give Mindanao’s designers a stage equal to any in Manila, and to show the world that the region’s artistry can hold its own internationally. From its early years—when Manila and Iloilo designers joined in—to today’s regional collaborations, the event has grown into the south’s most consistent fashion platform, widely anticipated as the Mindanao Fashion Summit 2025 event.
A Training Ground for Talent
The Summit has never been just a gala. It is also a classroom and a launchpad. Models are homegrown, trained through workshops before stepping onto the runway. For many, this show becomes their graduation. Emerging designers also cut their teeth here, with some moving on to regional and international exposure. Vince Aranaz, once a newcomer from Camiguin, is now the Summit’s stage director, known for productions that always go forward and beyond, ensuring the Mindanao Fashion Summit of 2025 is unforgettable.
Familiar Names, Fresh Statements
This year felt like a reunion. Familiar names filled the stage: Dodjie Batu of Davao, Klevin Bartolaba of Butuan, Juniel During of CDO, and Joshua Guibone of Misamis Oriental. The spotlight also returned to Macaibay and Tresh Verne Asis, both recently honored at Asian Fashion Week. Watching them together again, I was reminded why this Summit matters, each of them contributing to the allure of the Mindanao Fashion Summit 2025. It proved, once more, what many of us already know—Mindanao is not short on brilliance.
“Mindanao’s creativity deserves both stage and spotlight.”
Two Standout Voices
Among the year’s standout collections, two designers pushed the conversation forward in strikingly different ways.
Boogie Musni Rivera, born in CDO but now based in New York, reimagined the Barong Tagalog through the lens of the city he calls home. Subway lines, Broadway titles, and the Statue of Liberty became embroidered motifs on barong-inspired tops paired with wide-legged trousers. Playful yet precise, the collection sold out even before its official unveiling—proof that design can be both artful and market-ready during the Mindanao Fashion Summit 2025.
Meanwhile, Melvin Lachica turned to couture. His finely tailored ensembles fused Japanese avant-garde with Mindanaoan materiality. Raffia twine—a humble local fiber—was transformed into fringes and embellishments, offering raw texture to pieces inspired by Shibuya and the architectural folds of Issey Miyake. The balance was key: intricate yet never overwhelming, elegant without excess, highlighting the innovation seen at the upcoming Mindanao Fashion Summit 2025.
A Southern Capital of Style
Mindanao may sit far from Manila’s traditional fashion centers, but the Mindanao Fashion Summit 2025 demonstrates that brilliance knows no borders. Year after year, the event affirms that talent from the south is not only abundant but also ready for the world.
In Cagayan de Oro, where festival spirit meets runway ambition at the renowned fashion summit of 2025, fashion is more than clothing. It is heritage, identity, and a vision stitched forward into the global stage.
Bisou Bisou.
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