Screencap from The Bahamas Weekly
Pinoy designer Oliver Tolentino won the Sustainable Eco Fashion Award at the recent Islands of the World Fashion Week 2010 in the Bahamas. He was the first Filipino invited to present at the Islands.
Tolentino’s 40-piece eco couture collection made from piña, abaca fiber, and raw silk cocoon, earned nods from a panel that included the dean of Parsons New York, Simon Collins, and Project Runway Season 1 winner Jay McCarroll. The Bahamas Weekly reports that the "audience was on its feet by the time Tolentino walked down the runway."
In a press release, Tolentino said, "I was shocked when I walked out to see everyone standing! It made me so proud to be Filipino." He added, "It was the first time that anyone there saw our fabrics. Simon Collins said sustainable fabric is the hottest topic right now at Parsons. He said he gives two lectures a week on it, and this was the first time he ever heard of our piña and abaca. I was so honored to be the first to introduce the dean of Parsons to piña and abaca!"
Tolentino had his muse, former supermodel Tutay Maristela, walk for him. "Tutay impressed everyone. She even had fans by the end of the weekend!"
