Tirados Is The Singapore Label Founded On Kinship And Collaboration
For a young emerging fashion designer trying to make it, especially in resource-scarce Singapore, a sense of community can be everything and make all the difference. Just ask Josh Tirados – the Philippine-born, Singapore-based 25-year-old who debuted his label Tirados three months ago to much industry acclaim and wants to continue building it on kinship and collaboration.
The story of how Josh Tirados – a 25-year-old best known for his independent butoh dance performances – became the fashion designer on the lips and in the little black books of industry insiders and fashion enthusiasts with the debut of his label Tirados is a romantic one. Just turn back to the runway show he staged on May 13 this year to unveil the brand.
Recalling the classic underdog-made-good fashion fairytale of industry greats such as Alexander McQueen or John Galliano, the one-night-only affair can be said to have only been possible with the support of his creative friends. Among them: the movement artist and fellow butoh practitioner Sonia Kwek, who opened the show; the ambient music producer Mervin Wong, who conceptualised the otherworldly, shamanic soundtrack; and the budding makeup artist Zirah Ziqi, who came up with the models’ feather-embellished visages. All emerging creatives in their own right who came into Tirados’ orbit through previous collaborations or chance, many of them had volunteered their time and effort pro bono.
With a single runway show, the Philippines-born, Singapore-based 25-year-old fashion designer Josh Tirados has won over creative types and fashion industry insiders, so much so that some pieces from his debut collection have sold out.
Even the show venue – an intimate shophouse space in Geylang dubbed the Figment Club House – came courtesy of its owner, the boutique hospitality company Figment, as part of its recently launched residency programme to champion local creatives. And further helping to fund the production was the Singapore art and fashion label An Asylum – Tirados is the second and current recipient of its residency programme that was started in 2021 to provide mentorship and capital to a single artist for a year. (The comradeship goes both ways: He’s helping its founders – the multidisciplinary artist Becky Ng and the product designer/creative director Jaren Neo – with pattern-cutting in the lead-up to their fashion show slated to take place at the end of the year.)
Says Tirados of the entire experience: “As a young designer, I don’t have much to work off. To pull off this show, it became only natural to call on my friends and loved ones for help. What was mad, however, was how people who are just acquaintances or even strangers extended their kindness to help.”
Titled Anino – a Tagalog term that holds the dual meaning of shadow m and reflection – the 15-look line-up comprises gender-neutral ready-to-wear, bags and jewellery at once sensual and utilitarian and crafted by Tirados himself.
To think that benevolence happened to be a central theme of his debut collection: a gender-neutral 15-look-strong outing featuring the likes of draped and knotted jersey dresses, multi-panelled jeans and voluminous culottes – many of which crafted from deadstock fabrics – that hint at Tirados’ dance background with their sensuality. While the Temasek Polytechnic fashion design graduate operates solo – cutting and sewing nearly everything himself – friends such as the film prop master Abegail Loreno Arendayen helped with the knitting while artist Carmen Ceniga Prado created the clay charms that adorn some of the garments.
Consider the results – perhaps best described as workwear-gone-charmingly Dickensian – a true labour of love, if you will: A single piece can take up to a week to complete, and orders can only be made via DM on the Instagram account @__tirados for now. (A website for Tirados has newly been set-up - check it out here.)
A behind-the-scenes look at what went down at Tirados’ debut show staged at the Figment Club House in Geylang in May: Made possible with the help of several friends, including the art and fashion Singapore label, An Asylum, which helped with funding, the event can also be said to represent a microcosm of Singapore’s creative scene and its warm and highly collaborative spirit.
While Tirados hopes to work with a manufacturer that can help him scale up his production without losing its slow fashion values, he’s sticking firmly by what’s gotten him so far in such a short time. “I’m not designing for everyone. I’m designing for myself and my friends,” he says. “I think I can design more honestly this way, and hopefully, my vision will appeal to people who aren’t in my circle…
“I am continuously blessed by the people around me – people who have given me space, believed in me and supported me even in the smallest ways – and I want to create pieces that celebrate the beauty of all that love… I feel that a new wave is coming in fashion: a cultural wave powered by people.”
Ahead, a look at the pieces that walked down the Tirados runway.
Coordination Keng Yang Shuen Profile Photo Phyllica Wang, assisted by Raeann Lee An Art Direction Jonathan Chia Hair Delcine Chan/Kizuki+Lim Makeup Beno Lim, using Nars Show Photos Courtesy of Rice Tan
A version of this article first appeared in the August 2023 Youth! Edition of FEMALE