Fashion masters Gino Gonzales, Lulu Tan Gan, Ricardo Eric Cruz mentor next gen of terno designers

Inside Ternocon 2026: Elite designers train new talents.

Some of the biggest names in Philippine fashion have stepped out of the runway spotlight and into the classroom.

As part of “Fashioning the Terno,” participants are undergoing intensive training led by a powerhouse lineup of mentors—Ternocon founding artistic director Gino Gonzales, former mentor Lulu Tan Gan, current artistic director Ricardo Eric Cruz, and acclaimed designers and educators including Abdul Gaffar, Carolina de Leon, Dinnes Obusan, Bryan Peralta, and Windell Madis.

The rare gathering of fashion minds, happening from May 19 to 24 at the Sentrong Pangkultura ng Biñan in Laguna, is designed to pass on not just technical skills, but the deeper craft and cultural responsibility behind the Philippine terno.

The Luzon leg brings together 24 local designers from across the region, who are taking part in hands-on workshops covering silhouette-building, embroidery traditions, construction techniques, and modern interpretations of the national dress.

What makes the program even more significant is its nationwide scope. The workshop series has already traveled through Mindanao in Iligan City and the Visayas in Iloilo City, completing a full-circle exchange of regional talent and heritage knowledge.

Alongside the training, an exhibition running from May 22 to June 28 is featuring terno pieces by Ternocon 2025 winners and finalists Peach Garde, Bryan Peralta, Ram Silva, and Windell Madis, alongside works from mentors Ezra Santos, Rhett Eala, and Lulu Tan Gan.

The project is spearheaded by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, in partnership with Bench/Suyen Corporation and the local government of Biñan City in Laguna.

 

 

‘Fashioning the Terno’ is designed to pass on not just technical skills, but the deeper craft and cultural responsibility behind the Philippine terno.

 

 

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