Not Just a Fashion Show—Avel Bacudio’s Gintong Sinag Is a Call to Action

A stage for champions

The lights at Plaza Mexico flicker gold. Not the metallic kind, but something softer and warmer—like the glow that comes after a victory, after years of exhaustion and sacrifice.

Avel Bacudio stands at the edge of it all, watching. He isn’t just showing clothes tonight. He’s showing proof.

Proof that Filipino athletes deserve more than a handshake when they win. More than a rushed headline. More than a fleeting moment of pride.

“Every time we have gold medalists, that’s when we feel the happiest,” he tells me. “But we often fail to appreciate them for what they’ve truly accomplished.”

Tonight, the appreciation is stitched into every garment, worn by bodies that move with intention—athletes, Olympians, and people who understand what it means to carry a country’s weight on their shoulders.

Two-time Olympic gold gymnast Carlos Yulo closed the show. A body sculpted by discipline, moving like poetry across the runway.

The final image of Gintong Sinag, a collection designed for champions.

Elegance meets athleticism

Avel has always been interested in pushing boundaries, and this time, he’s taken Filipino textiles into the arena.

Working with the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Textile Research Institute, he’s woven elastic threads into traditional fabrics—turning handwoven history into something that moves like a second skin.

And the clothes?

They’re not just sportswear. They’re not just formalwear. They’re something in between, a collision of elegance and athleticism.

A track suit with sharp striped cutouts. A double-breasted coat with a barong underneath.

A brocade suit with a contrasting lapel, paired with matching shorts that feel like they belong both on a podium and a night out.

A barong with striped piping, subtle but deliberate, a nod to movement, speed, and progress.

“Sports luxe,” Avel calls it. Fashion with muscle.

A vision beyond fashion

“When it comes to sportswear, it should be elastic,” the Filipino designer shares. “But I want to tell the world that even if our fabrics aren’t traditionally elastic, we still have something special.”

What is elasticity, if not adaptability? If not resilience? If not the ability to move forward despite resistance?

His vision is bigger than fashion. It’s a call to action.

To rally behind Filipino athletes—not just when they win, but when they need us most. To invest in them, support them, and give them something more than applause.

“If we come together, we can bring home more than just a few medals—we can bring home ten,” Avel says.

Gintong Sinag isn’t just a collection. It’s a promise.

Photography Kim Angela Santos