Known for their handmade Barong Tagalog, EN Barong Filipino (ENBF) had been planning to launch a Modern Filipiniana collection featuring Philippine native trees as these are championed by their Chairwoman and Founder, Tita Fely, a passionate advocate for heritage conservation.

ENBF’s longtime collaborators Trina and Ruben Flores of Rubbertree Design Studio reached out to me, and it was an instant yes. I was of course thrilled to contribute illustrations for this meaningful project, and as a fan of Trina & Ruben’s Bags by Rubbertree line, I was excited to work with them and see my illustrations translated onto traditional Filipino clothing.

The collection features six unique terno silhouettes, each adorned with a different native tree flower: Katmon, Banaba, Ilang-ilang, Malabulak, Salinggogon, and Tayabak (Jade Vine). Trina and Ruben handled surface design, while Mr. Santingan of ENBF skillfully transformed my vector illustrations into beautiful embroidery, resulting in these stunning creations.

The ternos are available through the Philippine Forest Blooms portal on ENBF’s website and at Kultura outlets in SM Department Stores nationwide.

* I post most frequently on Instagram, so for a sneak peek at the latest projects (that might take a while to land here), feel free to follow along there! 😉