ALBAY, Philippines – While many celebrated the inclusion of two transgender models on the Victoria’s Secret 2024 runway, marking a milestone in global fashion, streets in Legazpi City in Albay have also become a vibrant runway of their own. Here, young artists have turned the traditional kumot to “kumhaute” to make a powerful fashion statement for gender equality.
Kumhaute is a play on the Filipino word kumot, which means blanket.
Jaune Jacob, a budding artist and editor-in-chief of the student-led fashion magazine iPose, fondly recalled using a thin and floral kumot as her gown in childhood, pretending to be a beauty queen or model.
Growing up queer in a conservative community, Jacob’s first fashion breakthrough wasn’t on a stage but in the private corners of her home, shielded from prying eyes and judgmental stares.
“When I was young, I would always use kumot as my gown while I slipped into moments of twirling and posing, secretly having my fashion show when no one was home so that I would not be caught. Whenever the door creaked open, I would pretend to be asleep, panicking and hiding because of my fear of being judged even by my own family,” Jacob recalled.
Like Jacob, countless other Filipino queer kids are forced to hide their gender identity and expression due to the stigma and prejudice that remain prevalent in Philippine society today. Many of these kids are also targets of teasing, bullying, and harassment, particularly in schools and other social settings.
The parade happened during the last week of September where the kumhaute collection was first featured. Draped with the blanket ensemble, the witty models gave a bold performance that immediately stirred attention from spectators.
It was, according to Jacob, a way of “living a life as a proud trans.” She said it enabled them to “showcase magnificent and wonderful creations” outdoors and not behind closed doors.
Gender icon
Without transgender models to look up to, Jacob and many of her friends struggled to understand their sexual orientation, gender identity, expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC).
She said, “Before, the concept of trans was still not popular; it wasn’t easy to find out about our identity because the LGBT community concept was super vague and bullied back then.”
The “Kumhaute Couture” episode of the third season of Drag Race Philippines inspired her and other young artists, including promising Bikolano fashion enthusiasts.
The artists are now behind a collection used to champion the cause of creating a more inclusive and safer environment for queer kids and other members of the LGBTIQA+ community.
“I was suddenly reminded of our SOGIESC discovery journey and how hard it was when there were little to no gender icons for young gays or trans,” she said.
There was a lack of role models for queer kids then, and media representation of the LGBTIQA+ community used to be problematic and misleading. Films and shows often portrayed homosexuals as sexually promiscuous, further perpetuating the stigma against queer people.
Dwayne Jared Pasadilla, the internal vice-chairperson of the Performing Arts Union Integrated for Culture, Arts, and Nature, and one of the models who showcased the kumhaute collection, emphasized that the outfits draw inspiration from the warmth and comfort of a kumot, which many turn to when seeking a safe place to exist.
“Kumot was our witness whenever we cried alone and opened our vulnerable side, especially when we needed company when the world was too full of discrimination and heavy feelings,” Pasadilla said.
Advocacy statement
Aside from the stories behind the wonderful collection, Gibo kan Soultero owner Lorenzo Andes said the outfits also pay homage to the intricate culture of the Philippines. This gave him the idea of creating the kumhaute outfits in collaboration with other artists from their organization.
“Wherever you go in the Philippines, you will always encounter the same design of kumot. The familiarity with Filipino design and its use in a very unconventional fashion piece is a statement of how we are changing the narratives that we used to grow up with. Of course, we aim to make it more vibrant and inclusive,” Andes said.
Promoting art and fashion designs that challenge hetero-binary norms, Andes uses his designs to further his advocacy of raising awareness and fighting discrimination, while also pushing for environmental protection and conservation by upcycling materials that are often disposed of and wasted.
Andes called for more support for artists who add new flavors and reimagine Filipino culture to create revolutionary pieces of art that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
“We need to create more art like this not only for aesthetic values, but most especially to represent the struggles and aspirations of the youth and members of the [LGBT] community,” he said.
Francis Esguerra, president of the Gayon Albay LGBT Organization Incorporated, said art and fashion trends like the kumhaute couture can empower marginalized sectors, particularly the queer community.
“Artistic expression is a powerful tool to raise awareness and challenge stereotypes, especially in places like Bicol where cultural identity is strong. We need these kinds of arts to foster conversations that will inspire actions for gender equality,” Esguerra said.
Last September, Gayon spearheaded the formation of the first DEI network in the region, named Magayon, a Bikolnon word that means beautiful. With their advocacy for developing more inclusive spaces and working for legal protections and equal rights for all, they hope that the kumot of every Filipino queer person would one day never be used to dry tears but instead symbolize hope for a kinder and more just world. – Rappler.com
Reinnard Balonzo is a senior journalism student at Bicol University-College of Arts and Letters. An Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2024, he is also chairperson of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines-Bicol.