Fashion Week Asia made its debut in Manila on October 20-24, 2026, opening with three days of runway shows that spotlighted 16 designers and creative participants from across the region.
Held from October 20-22 at the historic Palacio de Memoria, The Runway Shows marked the beginning of a new regional platform built to connect fashion communities across Asia.
Archie G. Carrasco at Fashion Week Asia’s The Runway Shows
For Archie G. Carrasco, Founder and Chairman of Fashion Week Asia and Chairman and CEO of AGC Power Holdings Corp. (AGC PHC), the initiative reflects a longstanding commitment to championing creative talent and creating opportunities for it to reach wider audiences.
“Asia is home to extraordinary talent. Our goal is to bring people and markets together, build lasting relationships, and open more doors for our designers and creatives. The goal is not to create a single Southeast Asian identity, but to build an ecosystem where distinct identities can thrive and be discovered together. Manila is where we begin.” Carrasco said.
Fashion Week Asia extends this mission across the region, bringing designers, buyers, media, and creative communities together through runway shows, industry access, and conversations.
Across the Runway
The inaugural runway program featured 12 designers:
- Darni Park of Bajuyo – South Korea
- Nguyen Minh Duc of DUC Studio – Vietnam
- Vu Thao of Kilomet109 – Vietnam
- Kelvin Morales – the Philippines
- Roko Arceo of Maligaya Clothing Co. – the Philippines
- Prince Padilla of Novèl – the Philippines
- Rosanna Ocampo – the Philippines
- Anisah Farid of PLAZÄ – Malaysia
- Alex Po and Derek Cheng of Ponder.er – Hong Kong
- Sophie Hong – Taiwan
- Toton Januar of TOTON – Indonesia
- Wisharawish Akarasantisook of Wisharawish – Thailand
The program also featured four Filipino creative exchanges: JustBonita, Maison Ignacio, Monohomme, and Viktor. Their participation further highlighted the local creative community’s place within a regional platform designed to encourage exchange and open new avenues for collaboration.
Across three days, the 16 featured designers offered a glimpse of the many directions Asian fashion can take
Each designer brought a distinct creative perspective to the runway, contributing to a wider conversation about Asian fashion and the ways cultural heritage, craftsmanship, and contemporary design continue to inform one another.
Apples M. Aberin on the opening day, marking the start of a week dedicated to celebrating Asia’s designers and creating space for their work to reach new audiences.
For Apples M. Aberin, Founder and Co-Chair of Fashion Week Asia and Vice President of One Mega Group Inc. Lifestyle Media, giving designers a stage worthy of their work, was central to the platform’s purpose: “Many of the designers you saw are among the most exciting emerging voices here in Asia. We wanted them to have a stage that matches the work they’ve put into their collections.”
A Bigger Vision
Fashion Week Asia builds on more than three decades of AGC PHC’s commitment to championing Filipino talent, from discovering emerging designers through MEGA Young Designers Competition to celebrating local fashion through MEGA Fashion Week. With this new platform, that mission extends across the region, creating opportunities for designers to exchange ideas, build relationships, and reach wider audiences.
Guests witnessed a cross-section of Asian fashion unfold in Palacio de Memoria, with each collection offering its own take on identity and craft.
Rather than define a singular identity for Asian fashion, Fashion Week Asia creates space for distinct creative identities to thrive and be discovered together.
What Comes Next
The runway shows are part of Fashion Week Asia’s inaugural program, running from October 20 to 24 in Manila. The program extended beyond The Runway Shows, with The Re-See offering an up-close look at the collections, the Fashion Forward Asia Forum bringing industry voices together to discuss the future of Asian fashion, and The Gala celebrating Filipino fashion and the Philippines as Fashion Week Asia’s inaugural host.
Closing the inaugural edition, Filipino designer Rajo Laurel presented ARCHIVO, a collection marking 33 years of his creative work. Revisiting pieces, silhouettes, and techniques from his archive, the collection reinterprets the signatures of his design practice for the present, bringing Filipino craftsmanship and contemporary design into conversation.
Together, these four components created a platform for designers, industry leaders, and creative communities to exchange ideas, build connections, and explore new opportunities across borders.
For more highlights from The Runway Shows, follow Fashion Week Asia on its social media platforms:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fashionweekasiaofficial/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fashionweekasiaofficial
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fashionweekasia
Photos courtesy of Ed Simon, Kieran Punay, and Excel Panlaque of KLIQ Inc.