Filipino Designer Turns Chairs into Experimental Fashion

Jessan Macatangay, a recent graduate of Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins (CSM) in London, created a fashion collection out of chairs. Jessan made five masterpieces for his experimental project called “Finding Beauty and Power in Struggle.” The budding designer created them using drapes and parts of chairs as his materials. In his first design, Jessan used the frame of an entire chair. Then, he used fewer chair parts for his succeeding pieces, so his fourth and fifth designs looked a lot less bulky and heavy than the first. According to Jessan, his inspiration was drawn from his personal experiences, as well as his fascination with human resilience. He chose to use chairs to signify the hardship and struggles that people go through. He explained that even though a chair is often a symbol of rest, it becomes a heavy and painful weight when people carry it in their arms or over their shoulders. He made the chair elements less visible in his last two designs to show that struggles eventually become a part of people that gives them strength. Jessan created the project as a final requirement for his degree at CSM. The designer faced many challenges while completing his project. Because of this, he felt that the process of completing it was a good example of the project's theme. He was in the middle of working on his designs when the city implemented lockdowns. Jessan’s supplier closed shop before he could get enough fabric, so he had to improvise with materials and furniture he had at home. Despite the difficulties he faced, he successfully completed the project.