Vancouver, 29 June 2017–Ms. Jaki Peñalosa, Iloilo-based designer of modern Filipiniana fashion and advocate of the use of Philippine indigenous fibers and fabrics, visited the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver and called on Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer on 19 June 2017. 

Ms. Peñalosa’s  intricateFilipiniana designs were showcased during the United Filipino-Canadian Associations of British Columbia (UFCABC) Philippine Independence Gala event on 17 June 2017 in Vancouver, B.C.Ms. Peñalosa informed Consul General Ferrer of her forthcoming shows in Calgary, Alberta in September and New York in October.  She is exploring the possibility of holding a similar fashion event in Vancouver to celebrate ASEAN’s 50th anniversary and the ASEAN chairmanship of the Philippines, aside from promoting Philippine craftsmanship and fashion artistry.

Consul General Ferrer invited Ms. Peñalosa to consider participating in the Vancouver Fashion Week (VFW), a bi-annual event which is considered one of the fastest growing fashion events and the only one in the fashion industry that actively seeks to showcase international award-winning designers from over 25 global fashion capitals. 

Ms. Peñalosa, together with her daughter, Aisha, also an emerging fashion designer, recently participated at the Asian-Canadian Fashion Week, a cultural event serving as a platform to showcase the fashion diversity within the multi-ethnic Asian cultures, held in Toronto on 5-7 May 2017.  Canadian Asian Fashion Week (CAFW) is the first international fashion event to celebrate Asian Heritage Month in Canada. Ms. Peñalosa has also exhibited her designs in a special cultural show during the APEC 2015 SME Ministerial Meeting (SMEMM) held on September 24, 2015 in Iloilo City. END