Lulu Tan-Gan marries indigenous fiber with viscous knitwear

By Hannah Gregorio Special to The Manila Times and Rome Jorge Lifestyle Editor

When it comes to knitwear, Lulu Tan-Gan comes first. The woman has established herself as an icon of Filipino fashion for 'tropicalizing' wool into a light, cool and viscously soft casual wear. But when it comes to piña—an indigenous fiber known for its translucent elegance and stiffness, qualities that lend themselves to traditional formal wear such as barong suits and terno gowns—a new name has just staked its claim. And that is none other than Tan-Gan herself.

Chosen as Metrowear Icon for 2009, Tan-Gan did not fail to astonish the crowd as she carefully combined her famous knitwear with piña. Tan-Gan, together with her creative team, had designed a 50-piece collection inspired by terno gowns, casual sportswear and tribal gear.

Metrowear Icon is an annual award given by Metro magazine to designers who had exceptionally made a mark in the fashion industry through innovation and creativity.

The casual knitwear line consists of neutral colored separates—greys and browns with hints of pale blue piping—embellished with belts, peacock feathers, beads or embroidered strips of piña to top off the look.
Lulu Tan-Gan even had actress Anne Curtis and Heart Evangelista as models.

Tan Gan’s take on the terno was quite astounding. She is nothing short of a sorceress for transforming the stiff piña into a diaphanous and gossamer fabric, so soft it flutters with every model’s breath and turn, and an alchemist for seamlessly marrying the formal fabric with sensuously viscous and softly flowing knitwear. Her elegant cream-colored creations were nothing short of breathtaking.

The eveningwear she designed was no less innovative. She combined two colors delineated by bold geometric cuts. Exquisitely detailed embroidery ran across these cuts, softening and marrying the two.
Lulu Tan-Gan’s collection has made traditional garments wearable and fashionable for modern Filipinas. Now, piña promises to be the new must-have “little black dress.”