New York Fashion Week is one of the major fashion events in the world along with Paris, London, and Milan Fashion Weeks. In a series of events in Manhattan, fashion collections are shown to buyers, media, and the general public. Filipino-American designer and maker Paulo Manaid shares his experience at NYFW.

Last week, I had the opportunity to join Underground Advocatez's Fashion Forward: The NYFW Experience. Previously, I had displayed my pieces including robes and jackets in mixed fashion shows. This marked the first time I presented a collection from my brand Natibo ATBP. by Hatzumomo, all by itself. Through my brand,  I create contemporary fashion and accessories using handwoven fabrics indigenous to the Philippines.

During one of our initial model casting rehearsals, while seeing the models playing dress up with my clothes, I decided to present my greatest hits for this show. I then tasked myself to make more special pieces in order to display a wide variety of patterns and colors of the fabrics I work with from the Philippines. After that, I had to figure out how to style the pieces and which model should wear what.The experience of the fashion show itself was swift and fast. Behind the main stage, I had to help the models get dressed and line them up for the main walk. Seeing my hard work and labor under the bright lights on fabulous models was a surreal experience for me. A true labor of love.

https://filamjam.substack.com/p/fashion-forward-natibo-atbp-by-hatzumomo?sd=pf