Collection: Steve de Leon

In 1990-1991, Steve de Leon became the first fashion designer to be exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila for his art wear. The exhibit titled Misterio ng Birhen Maria,featured tapestries, evening clothes, terno, and baro’t saya incorporating the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries in a tableau. In the early ‘80s, De Leon cultivated his interest in Filipiniana and in developing local fabrics when he worked on a documentary series about the lifestyle in the late 19th century. As a costume designer, he was guided by the late historian Dez Bautista. When they went on location shoots in the provinces, de Leon met various weavers who produced abaca, banana fiber, and piña fiber.