Aisha Penalosa: Iloilo Fashion Designer Flaunt Her Creation At Durham Filipino Fest In Oshawa 2019

Straight from Li ERON.

Bringing her creation to Durham Region, September 14, 2019

I was at Pearson airport when I bumped on Marlene Lucas with Lovely Luna at the arrival area while they were waiting for two fashion designers arriving from the Philippines. I actually didn't pay much attention who they were except being told it's a mom and daughter tandem. I even stream it live for Marlene when they both emerged at the arrival gate. That was 2017 if I remembered it right while I was picking up my roommate from the Philippines as well. It was the mom Jaki that I can remember well.  Perhaps because she was wearing a distinctive highlight on her hair at that time.

I heard a lot about the mother and daughter working together being both fashion designers. To me, all fashion designers have so much similarity in their creations. Some moderately brilliant at times when the creation they presented appeared confusing or inadequate to wear? For example when I was sitting at a runway show in Buffalo and I think the model was halfway naked. I thought, who would wear those apparels when the underwear was in glorious display and the rest were in tatters? Or either a design looked absolutely heavy and uncomfortable. Something one can wear in Hollywood in an awkward carpet walk. Would it be rubbish?

But no matter how the outfit looks like as long as it is a designer's clothes, it still is fashion. Fashion designers' thrive because without them I think the world is simply bland.  So we credit them for showcasing culture and ethnicity through their work. I just love art that doesn't make my eyes and my head spin because the outfit is too complex to see much more wearing it. I thought who'd waste their time sharpening a pencil to sketch a fashion designer's creative juices into  a sketch notebook, some of them are as messy on their design as they can get. Or am I grossly ignorant?

I presumed that these kind of artists who pursued their passion designing apparels we can wear in style are all weird and at times irrelevant even to their own creations as "I can't wear that..." type of drama from the audience as one model nearly stumbled because the clothes was dragging and hugging the floor but that's how it works. So how surprised I was sitting on a Jaki Penalosa fashion show when all of her designs were sleek, clean cut and simply beautiful. No crappy stuff that aliens wear in movies. Jaki Penalosa's creations were neat so that models wearing it walked the ramp as if they owned it. This was the mother I was talking about; Jaki Penalosa presenting her creations.

So what about the daughter, Aisha Penalosa? What's on her belt as the young, hungry for creativity on her level and age?  Am I gonna see something more modern and casual? The thing that we can wear almost everywhere. Nothing that fancy? I haven't seen the younger Penalosa's line of designer clothes but Runway Canada big boss Marlene Lucas said Aisha represents her younger generation. So how serious are we in watching a younger Penalosa Fashion Show? Does she had what it takes to convince us all that she is as brilliant as her mom in terms of concept and creativity?

Writing about people taught me to be more informative of the person and to validate credentials. After all, it is the blogger who gets trolled when things go wrong. Due diligence is what we called it. It is similar to digging deep to discover something about a person, not to harm her but to elevate and promote as we guide people to be entertained and to make decent choices. I do that all the time. Aisha Penalosa is no different so I sent her a message several months ago for her profile. She quickly responded and sent me a page length which I actually never read until after the success of Runway Canada casting swinging open its doors to pick qualified models to represent the Runway Canada brand. 

Most often, when it comes to telling a story to inform and educate the communities and my network, timing is crucial. I follow my hunch and intuition when to deliver it so people will engage. Do not count on my Followers because I have none. But if you check my Local Guides platform I am closed to Level 6 and my random views are as high as over 317,000 already. With this Blogger platform, I have over 138,000 plus with audience from various countries and my clout with the community. Me being a blogger, I want to create impact through my stories, through my preferred promotions. I haven't even tap on twitter and instagram. It's part of my Volunteerism. Sometimes I'll ask for financial support on meaningful projects. But I am a storyteller and am born with it.

Promotion is crucial as no one wants to see something they are not familiar about. So at Durham Filipino Fest, I want the community to embrace a young Fashion Designer named AISHA PENALOSA as they enjoy our foods, cultural presentations, endless performances. It is a day of festivities that culminates Canadian summer. Who doesn't want to enjoy the remaining hot summer days? The sprawling Memorial Park in Oshawa with its historic essays and landmark will make you feel home away from home smelling those authentic Filipino foods from our select Food Vendors will offer. I will be sitting with the food vendors to know exactly what foods and delicacy akin to Filipino culture are they gonna bring and serve for our crowd. 

So here's who Aisha Penalosa is, something Iloilo must be so proud:

Aisha is a bonafide Fashion Designer. A graduate of Business Fashion and Fashion Design at Slims Fashion and the Arts. She has a degree in Mass Communications Major in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations. She is  an Iloilo based fashion designer who has done a lot of shows from 2009 to 2018. A Grand Slam Winner of Robinsons Place Iloilo Design Lab 2010. She is also a winner for Iloilo Miss Dinagyang as Best Designer. Aisha has designed gowns for beauty queens, brides and Debutants. In 2011, she opened a shop under a brand "Edited" that offered street wear and party clothes.

Aisha Penalosa is also Production Manager and Casting Head of Iloilo Designers Week. A member of Designers Guild of Iloilo. Aisha is also Creative Director of Bijoux Creative Modelling Agency. And of course, the Manager/Assistant fashion designer at Jaki Penalosa shop.

When she graduated fashion school, she joined her mom Jaki Penalosa in expanding into international brand which exposes her to more intricacies of fashion designing as she handled international clients, including Manila and celebrity clients. Recently, Aisha is the Creative Director of the top modelling agency in Iloilo and she manages the Designers Week of Iloilo, the biggest fashion event in the city. Together with mom Jaki Penalosa, she has done national and international shows such as Mabuhay Festival in Toronto, the Best of Ilonggos in Milan, the Canadian Asian Fashion Week and the Iloilo Trade Mission show in NYC, Washington DC and Virginia USA.

Now, you will know why I refused to read her bio when I got it. I let it simmer for a while so I won't burn my fingers with her enormous achievements and now it's time...

For Ilonggos to come around and patronize the emergence of a rising star in the fashion world. It doesn't come too often.