SM Megamall proudly presents the first solo art exhibit of noted fashion designer Edgar San Diego “BARO’T SAYA TUWA AT LIGAYA” from October 9 to 15, 2021, Ground Level, Mega Fashion Hall at SM Megamall.

The theme of the exhibit is “Tribute of Joy to the Filipina and her Traditional Dress amidst the Pandemic.”

Edgar’s love for the beautiful Filipina, traditions, costumes, and production design is evident in his paintings, keeping in mind that the colors are bright and the subjects are happy in creating positive vibes which we need most in this pandemic. He chose to deal with beautiful characters in their colorful costumes and nostalgic scenarios.

“I turned 60 last March 13, 2020. And then after two days, the lockdown was imposed. I thought that it was only going to last for a month or two. So to keep me away from boredom, I cleaned the house, reorganized my cabinets and do things that I neglected when I was busy with my dress shop. However, when I ran out of things to fix, I decided to pick up my brushes and called my canvas supplier. Luckily, she was open all the time to accept my orders. What I did was to order an extra 4 to 6 canvases which eventually gave me no excuse to stop.”

“I shared posted some of my early works on Facebook while daughter Abby posted them on her Instagram account. The favorable remarks and thousands of likes were heartwarming and encouraged me to create more. The choices for the artworks included in this exhibit is also based on how much people reacted to them.”

Just like in fashion, Edgar always take inspiration from the classic masters like Christian Dior, Balenciaga, YSL, Inno Sotto and Joe Salazar. In the visual arts, he admires Gustav Klimt, Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Diego Rivera, Claude Monet, Fernando Amorsolo, and Carlos Botong Francisco.

For his women of style and substance, Edgar’s inspiration comes from  Frida Kahlo, Tamara de Lempicka, and Betsty Westerndorp, among others.

Before Edgar San Diego became a fashion designer, he used to hand-paint on formal clothes for established designers during his UST Fine Arts days. He was also a display-window artist at the Plaza Fashion Mart where he had a chance to meet fashion directors, models, and more designers whom he we will eventually work with after college.

In 1981, he was invited and became the youngest pioneer of the Fashion Designers Association of the Philippines where he eventually served as president for 4 terms.

As a costume designer, Edgar’s credits include Repertory Philippines’ “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Man of La Mancha,” “M Butterfly,” “Aladdin,”, “The Sound of Music,” among others;Trumpets’ “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and “Little Mermaid”; and, New Port Theater’s “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”

He also made cinematic costumes for Star Cinema’s “ Sarah ang Munting Princesa” and “Ceddie.”

Edgar has also successfully promoted fashion and culture through fashion shows with Filipino communities in New York, New Jersey, California, Florida, Atlanta, Missouri, Chicago, Guam, Honolulu, and London.

His solo gala fashion shows were also presented in Manila, Honolulu, Jakarta, and Melbourne.

BARO’T SAYA TUWA AT LIGAYA is co-presented by SM Appliance Center, Amelia’s Garden, Artistshop, Beringer Wines, Doltz Pilar, Flyace Corporation, Gari P. Palmani,, TCL.

The production team of the exhibit includes Dan Pablo (videographer), Jun Lopez (curator), Willie de Vera (photographer), Toots Tolentino (publicist), and Barbara San Diego (muse).

A percentage of the sales will be donated to Special Services of Jose Reyes Medical Center through Mr. Rheez Chua.

For further details, please check Facebook Edgar San Diego Fashion & Arts.