Jun Escario

	PROFILE 32-Year Old Jun Escario is the creative force that helped shape the fashion landscape in Cebu and will soon be influencing the direction of Philippine fashion itself. He is one of the few Cebuano designers who have risen from the region to gain national recognition for his vision, creative identity, and contribution to Philippine fashion. His designs are characterized by his signature sensuality, verve, and sophistication, and he does his best work with soft, draping fabrics that enhance the wearer's contours.
	“My clothes are sexy, but never gauche; they're sophisticated without being eccentric; they're embellished but never too flashy,” he says. Escario's passion for design started at an early age. Back in grade school, his teachers would catch him sketching dresses while the rest of his classmates did their schoolwork. At nineteen, Escario's passion found expression in a part-time job as fashion designer for a Cebu-based pret-a-porter brand. After a year and a half, he moved on to become the full-time designer for En Sepia, the premiere Cebu Fashion house in the late1980s, where he learned how to deal with clients; this marked his first hands-on experience with haute couture. The fashion house flourished through Escario's spunk and creative output. In 1991, Escario decided to open his own shop along Archbishop Reyes Avenue. He called it Bacchus, a name that both revealed and celebrated his love for life and for living well. The local young fashionista crowd of Cebu flocked to his shop, establishing Escario as Cebu's most sought-after designer.

In December 2001, he joined The Concours International des Jeunes Createurs de Mode, which was considered a brave and timely move on his part. The gamble paid off when he emerged as one of the five finalists representing the Philippines in Paris. There, he won a special citation for Best Philippine Designer from the French judges for a stunning piece made of pleated paper, silk threads, shell beads and copper medallions.

What was his motive for joining the prestigious contest? “Designing for my Cebu clients became formulaic. I wanted a creative challenge; I wanted to push the limits of my imagination without having to think of whether my regular clients would like it.” he says. He went on to explain the difference between designing for a client and for competition. According to Escario, the former requires discipline and caters to the client's needs; while the latter requires a creative spark; an inspiration; a rekindling of the passion to create something that is both creatively and personally gratifying.

His desire to broaden his design horizons prompted him to look for a location for a satellite shop in Manila. Towards the end of 2003, he found the ideal location for a small workshop and showroom at the LPL Towers on Legaspi Street in Makati, and hired Australian interior designer Simon Miles to do it over. Miles came up with a chic fashion salon that Manila's fashionable set would love.

Escario then invited OJ Hofer, another nationally-recognized Cebu-based designer, to become his business and design partner. Hofer took Escario up on his offer and they soon defined the thrust of the new partnership: the Escario-Hofer atelier was to specialize in made-to-order formal clothes and bridal wear for discerning Manila clients. Although they faced the usual difficulties early into the partnership, (such as finding skilled staff members who could adapt the system that the atelier used) Escario and Hofer overcame the challenges together.

The new design studio opened its doors and drew in Manila's colorful fashion denizens in January 2004. Today, Escario is a popular figure among Manila's fashionistas, and is on his way to establishing a niche in Philippine fashion with his signature brand of sensuality and sophistication.