The fashion world celebrates the immense skills and talents of quite a number of renowned Filipino designers. But perhaps unbeknownst to the greater public, these designers were started off on their journeys of design by this one distinguished lady – Salvacion Lim Higgins.
Widely known as Slim, Higgins turned the tide of fashion design in the country when she and her sister, Purificacion, founded Slim’s Fashion & Arts School in 1960. The school’s curriculum, more popularly known as “the Slim’s Method,” has significantly influenced the fabric of Philippine fashion.
But as a designer herself, Slim has made her mark on fashion on three fronts. She was known for her remarkable construction, her extraordinary color palette, and her gift for seeing her designs in three dimensions.
Growing up Slim
Sandy and Mark Higgins, heirs to the House of Slim, confess that they hardly felt their mother’s prominence, at least for the first 12 years or so of their lives, when she was in her so-called “semi-retirement.”
It was only while they were in their teens when they first got an inkling of how celebrated their mother was. With characteristic humility, Slim had downplayed her distinguished status. Mark says, “My mother was absorbed in her own creations or in what the students were learning. I don’t think stature, legacy, or potential influence ever crossed her mind. She was constantly innovating, experimenting, or doing something that was new to her. Ultimately that showed in the work she produced.”
And this work endures to this day. One would think that designs rendered from decades past would fade away, victims of the fickle changes in fashion. But not so with Slim.
The siblings offer their own theory for this success: “Perhaps because her work was quite modern and often had some ingenuity to it. The iconic grey terno for example, on the cover of her book, had a geometric silhouette and was held together with only one seam. It was created in the 1950s, and is now part of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s collection. She loved all things avant-garde. Her design sense was not commensurate with her age; she had the daring of a young person’s mind.”
The vision lives
Years after her passing in 1990, Slim’s influence on design was immortalized through the Slim’s Legacy Project exhibit and coffee table book. Her vision continues to flourish as well, with her children, Sandy and Mark, steering the school in the direction the Slim and her sister had originally intended.
Sandy and Mark describe their mother’s style and guiding principles: “She was not a fan of short cuts or superficial skills. The fashion design course, for example, has a strong fine arts foundation – it’s not just about making pretty sketches.
“She believed in never relying on others. Students who take all our important courses leave the school fully empowered and ready to make a living. They can design, construct, and finish their clothes without any help.
“She also had a strong work ethic; she took her work seriously and was quite a workaholic. At Slim’s, we try to push young students to develop habits that will help them become productive, successful professionals.”
The school likewise maintains its focus on mentoring new talent, polishing the design diamonds in the rough. Mark picks up his mother’s mantle on that front.
“I tend to mentor the mentors, like she did – especially those teachers who have a gift for learning themselves, and a real desire to grow. I usually become directly exposed to the students in the advanced classes, when they’re working on more experimental or special projects… Whether they go as far as becoming fashion’s ‘rock stars’ is ultimately up to them… it depends on how much they evolve after they leave us.”
As far as running the school is concerned, Sandy takes the lead, maintaining the steady and sure firm foundation that her mother had established, that seems to go “against the grain of what’s happening in today’s ‘fast fashion’ scene.”
Both looking forward, though, Sandy and Mark recognize what lies ahead. They declare: “The challenge is to persistently explore ways to accomplish Slim’s extensive lessons and standards faster and more efficiently, to keep up with today’s pace. Slim’s isn’t exactly known as an easy school. We always tell students: ‘If you’re comfortable, you’re not growing.’ This industry is not for the faint-hearted… our job is to try to develop their skills, their approach to their work, and their nerve. Filipinos are extremely talented, but in this tough world, that’s far from enough.”
Wise insights from Slim’s new generation of leaders. Salvacion Lim Higgins would have been very proud indeed.
Makeup by Ramon “Chito” Fabello, Jr. and Herbert Coralde and hair by Jayfren “JJ” Gallego of Creations by Lourd Ramos Salon
Special thanks to Lucia Ristorante and Wicked by Cravings of The Cravings Group for providing the food during the shoot
