Formerly housing different offices of DLS-CSB, the Miguel Febres Cordero (MFC) Building (also known as the Mayflower Building) has gone through years of history. At present, it’s slated to become The Fashion Museum Benilde, a dynamic cultural archive and educational space for the Benildean community. 

From the 12th Floor Gallery of the Design and Arts (D+A) Campus to the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MCAD), the Benildean community has had various spaces to appreciate art and design. These spaces may showcase a variety of student and alumni-produced works or inspiring pieces from professionals. 

This time, The Fashion Museum Benilde will be the home of more fashion-centric collections and exhibits. In an interview with The Benildean, Center for Campus Art (CCA) Director Ar. Gerry Torres gives the Benildean community a preview into this highly-anticipated project.

A brief trip to the past, the MFC Building was built in 1938 and is one of the few remaining Art Deco buildings in Manila. As per Ar. Torres, it is a “heritage building that survived the war (World War II).” Architect and art historian, Ar. Gerard Rey Lico detailed in a post back in 2021 through his educational page, Docu Lico, on how the Mayflower Building was a product of a design-and-build contract between architect Fernando Ocampo and Fernando Lopez of Iloilo, with the former widely recognized as one of the pioneers of Art Deco in the Philippines.

Unraveling the project’s threads

To set the stage for this project, in recent years, Benilde was gifted numerous garments and collections from notable Filipino fashion designers, mainly Ben Farrales, Pitoy Moreno, Aureo Alonzo, and National Artist Ramon Valera. These collected clothing have been displayed in past Benilde exhibitions such as “Farrales @ Benilde” and “Power, Fashion, Modernity: The Ternos of the Benilde Collection.”

Ar. Torres narrated that, “The idea of The Fashion Museum Benilde was from Br. Edmundo “Dodo” Fernandez FSC, our Brother President [...] We have around 350 garments mainly from those four designers [...] As an institution, we also have to think about what we do with the collection [because] we accepted them.” The Brother President is a man of the arts himself, graduating with a painting degree from the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Furthermore, upon being asked if the MFC Building was always planned to be the home of The Fashion Museum Benilde, Ar. Torres recounted how there were different plans for the building in the past.

“Initially, the idea of the MFC Building was to be a museum for the “62 Icons” exhibit (now residing in the Center for Learning Resource (CLR) of the 7th Floor D+A Campus). It was supposed to be a museum for the donated artifacts. Later on, it was decided that the MFC Building would exclusively be for the fashion collection,” he said.

Designing cutting-edge features

It should be noted that while producing the College’s exhibits across its various campuses can be done over a couple of months, building a museum takes more time, planning, and resources.

Ar. Torres explained, “You have to think 10, 20, 50 years ahead, which means that we have to have a large area for storage—storage facilities that should be world-class, state-of-the-art, and scientifically supported. [There should also be considerations] in terms of fire protection, temperature controls, special lighting, and protection from the elements. We do have clothing [pieces] that are more than 50 years old which needs to be taken care of.”

While proper storage is one of the main considerations for The Fashion Museum Benilde, there are other aspects Ar. Torres envisions for the project. These include places of exhibition such as a small and a main gallery to showcase exhibits. Moreover, there’s the conservation aspect which is creating a space to repair, reconstruct, and conserve clothes, especially with the fragility of older pieces. 

The next aspect Ar. Torres highlighted was, “A learning space. A space where students can learn about clothing—its design, construction, and special features, and learn from the examples of our esteemed fashion designers, some of whom have become national artists. The museum will have libraries, a viewing and a seminar room where we can invite speakers to share their knowledge. 

“We will become a laboratory for the Fashion Design and Merchandising program,” he emphasized.

The last aspect of the museum is that it will become an archive of the works of renowned Filipino fashion designers. Additionally, it will become a place where memorabilia of Filipino fashion history can be kept. 

Stitching the past to the present

Continuing, Ar. Torres also described some of the architectural and interior design plans for the project. He aims to restore the building to its former glory while shining a light on its historical features. This entails looking at the Art Deco period which was the time the MFC Building was built. From geometric shapes and streamlined ornamentation with a hint of glamor, these are features commonly seen in the period’s architectural style and what this project will root from.

“What we hope to do is to be able to highlight the beautiful aspects of the heritage building that is the MFC [...] Its outstanding features can be highlighted such as its stairs. We can restore it, install the appropriate lighting, and choose a color palette that can be flattering to the building,” Ar. Torres aired out.

Similarly, the project also hopes to be a good example for future architecture students not only in Benilde but across the country. He added, “The project can be a good example of how to restore a heritage building, especially for us with a school of design and arts with a strong architecture program. We recently topped the board exams. We can show here how we can take care of heritage buildings.”

Spotlighting the trailblazers and trendsetters

Besides the plans of what The Fashion Museum Benilde will encompass, Ar. Torres shared that the exhibits will change regularly. “We’ll have changing exhibits because you know, people will find it boring if we have only a permanent exhibit. Like what I did for the CCA, I’ll always be constantly changing the exhibits.”

Additionally, it should be noted that this project is the first of its kind. Ar. Torres shared, “Benilde is trailblazing in innovation with this new learning resource. It’s something we should be proud of and support because it’s again, another first for Benilde. [...] If you are the first in something, you’ll become the model to those who will follow.”

In line with that, Ar. Torres revealed that he’ll be heading this project, letting go of his position at the CCA. “I’ll let go of the Center for Campus Art to concentrate on this next project of Benilde which is very exciting. [We’ll be seeing’] two museums now for Benilde—MCAD and The Fashion Museum Benilde,” he detailed.

The Benildean community and fashion enthusiasts can expect a multidisciplinary experience from this future project. Ar. Torres also emphasized, “There’s going to be a fashion library, fashion archive which at one point it could be open to the public. [...] The museum can have regular schedules of lectures in fashion and related fields. Opening the museum to students to listen to fashion experts. It will become an extension of the classroom. We’re not opening it only to fashion design students but all those who are interested in fashion itself.”

Heading into a fashion frontier

Eagerly anticipating the future, this brings the question of when The Fashion Museum Benilde will open. According to Ar. Torres, “Maybe sometime towards the end of 2025. That’s the target. We still have to assess the work needed for the building.”

The Fashion Museum Benilde is another addition to the celebration of creativity among Benildeans. Students, faculty, staff, and administrators will be able to better appreciate the artistry and skill of homegrown Filipino fashion designers. This project also honors Filipino craftsmen, the people behind fashion designers themselves such as tailors, beaders, embroiders and other skilled workers. 

As a message to the Benildean community, Ar. Torres urged Benildeans to support this project, “We are hoping to get the support of the community. [...] This project is important because it will be the first of its kind in the country, it will be in our school. It recognizes and respects the talents of our designers and preserves vital elements of the legacy of us as a people.”

“Fashion design is a reflection of who we are as a people, as a country, and our creativity,” he emphasized.