Cary Santiago: The Art of Creation

I wanted to post this as soon as it ran in the paper, because of the timeliness of the article, but I eventually thought better to just give it a few weeks after the publication so I won’t have my bosses on my ass for it.

This is about Cary Santiago, a fairly well-known designer in the Philippines, who is the guiding hand behind one of the hottest couture brands in the Middle East (no, not Saab). I’m unable to mention the house’s name because, as in the article, Cary was worried that it would be rendered searchable online (unlikely as far as our paper’s website is concerned, but likely in this blog), and his boss might find out that he granted us an interview.

Cary’s creations are distinct fabric-on-fabric designs that are almost sculptural their appearance. And couture in the Middle East being what it is, these outfits are made for royalty, celebrities, and basically the richest of the rich, and are created by the finest, most luxurious fabrics which most designers only dream of using.

This article details the elegance and artistry that defines Cary’s works. Also, because Cary is based in Beirut and came back to the Philippines for the same reasons (although very different circumstance) that other Filipinos returned, it was practically impossible not to situate his story within the current context of the war in Lebanon. Honestly, it was something of a struggle to write, mostly because it felt like trivializing the war (and being incredibly insensitive to the Filipinos who were all trying to get home) by setting Cary’s otherwise luxurious story against the backdrop of a generally struggling Filipino population (despite my own opinion about the whole melodrama that ensued).

Anyway, here’s my article called Rich Imaginings, which was released August 25 in the i section of the Manila Bulletin, and the sneak peek article Flights of Fancy (released a week earlier) which is specific to Cary’s designs.