Ternocon Palaro brings Filipiniana to the field
Filipiniana took a fun detour from the runway to the football field as Ternocon Palaro turned the SM Mall of Asia Football Pitch into a lively playground where culture met style.
Held on Oct. 8, the event gathered six standout Filipino designers—Carl Jan Cruz, Glyn Alley Magtibay, Hannah Adrias, Jo Ann Bitagcol, Len Cabili, and Renz Reyes—each putting their own spin on the terno and barong.
The latest collaboration between the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and Bench replaced the usual catwalk with turf and an open-air sports field, setting the tone for a night where tradition finally let loose.
For Steven Tan, president of SM Supermalls, that’s exactly the point. Tan said the idea of holding a show at the football pitch came from a desire to shake things up.
“The directors are always looking for a venue that’s out of the box, that’s not your usual,” he said.
“This time, they made it really playful and relatable to the public,” Tan said. “The organizers wanted to make it more relatable to the youth—that’s why they thought of palaro.”
Launched in 2018, Ternocon has long been a platform that celebrates the national attire while pushing designers to give it a modern twist.
This year’s Palaro theme swapped elegance for youthful energy and edge, making Filipiniana feel approachable and current.
Beyond the creativity on display, the event also highlighted SM’s continued support for Filipino designers and craftsmen.
Tan shared that helping homegrown talent has always been personal for the company.
“We started as an MSME,” he said. “A lot of our designers and craftsmen are also small and medium enterprises. We really want to help them because this is also for the economy at large.”
He added that SM often provides pop-up spaces for emerging designers, giving them room to grow their brands.
“We normally have pop-ups, especially for young designers. We put up the venue—it’s our way of helping them,” he said.
