Filipino American talent on display in Carolina fashion show

By Susan Palmes-Dennis

Rockingham, North Carolina—Three of the 15 creations made by Filipino American fashion designer Malou-Tabada Cordery stood out for me during the just concluded ‘Random Acts of Art and Fashion Spring 2022 Show’ held by the group Charlotte Seen at the Hyatt Centric Hotel.

One of them, a white and blue outfit worn by model Caroline Gravelle, was the perfect finale for Malou’s creations as its colors brightened the venue along with the matching ruffles headband.

The dress came with a matching headband adorned with ruffles worn by Caroline. Perched on top of the headband was a boat which Malou said evoked childhood memories of her home country the Philippines.  

The petite Malou, who hails from Mindanao Philippines, reminisced about her boat trip from Cagayan de Oro City to Cebu City. Her trip then took her to Bohol province where she visited her grandparents and relatives.

Malou described her white and blue outfit, which represented the color of the ocean and the boat headpiece, as her ‘journey to life.’ Another of Malou’s creation was a black and red dress worn by model Kate Miller. A bow highlighted Miller’s waist and the outfit was topped with an elegant headpiece.

Avante garde look

Malou also made a pink and blue colored slit designed gown with a fabulous cape. Malou’s works were  shown in Paris Fashion show and she described her latest 15 creations as random. In fact, Malou said the black and red dress was added to her collection on the day of the show.

She said show producer Rita Miles wanted a headpiece for a male model. Since she already had a headpiece, Malou said she thought that a warrior attire was in order for a male model. The warrior attire was the first to be presented and it drew raves from the enthusiastic crowd.

It was showcased in a 2020 fashion show but it was worn then by the previous Miss North Carolina winner. What Malou said she did was to create a modern warrior attire that best represented Mindanao’s past and present.

Malou’s other 14 creations received the approval of the appreciative crowd. One headpiece was made of chicken feathers that she brought from the Philippines. Malou said she always showcased headpieces because it adds an avant-garde look to her creations.

‘I actually had 15 outfits for the runway but only 13 models during the finale because two were changing quickly for the next designer after me. I always showcased a Mindanao outfit and Filipiniana in my collection,’ Malou said.

Color palette

Malou said her color palette were gold, maroon, green, blue, red and white. ‘My finale outfit was my entry for the art part of the show. When asked how many days she designed and created her 15 outfits, Malou replied ‘three of those outfits were shown in other shows.’

‘Like in Asheville where I won first place and People’s Choice award in 2018. That same year I won first place here in Charlotte for my recyclable carousel gown, ‘ she said.

Malou said she started work last January after Rita Miles asked her to join the show. ‘I sewed for hours every night. Three weeks before the show, the two dresses I made were added with six, then 10 and then 15.

‘I’m so grateful to my husband because the last three weeks he did everything at home. I was only doing sewing and hosting a banana cake bake sale. He did all the cooking even when I’m off work. As soon I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is to fire up my sewing machine.’ Malou said.

‘He’s always very supportive and yet he’s also my critic. He helped me paint the ship white and glued the ship on top of the metal headband.

In describing her creations as ‘random’, Malou said she creates whatever she has in mind. ‘Whatever imagination is in my heart and mind, that’s what I try to bring to life in my creations. My mind is working so fast than my hand can handle it. I always love to create beyond normal look,’ Malou said. She praised the models whom she said were very enthusiastic and didn’t give her a hard time.

‘They get excited when their name is chosen to walk for me. In fact one of the girls cried last Saturday because she wanted to walk for me. I’m glad I had an extra outfit. Some girls are still too young like 12 years old but very tall. ‘So I had to deal with the mothers. One girl with her mom came to me after the show and she was so thankful to be part of the show,’ Malou said.

A friend Jesett Kelly, who was present during the show and a good fashion designer in her own right, described Malou’s creations as fabulous.  Florami Lao Cordero Lee has all praises for Malou. One Samantha Fortune told Malou that she loved her designs and her incredible talent. And I couldn’t agree more.

PS: Next post, I’ll be featuring the ‘banana bread’ on the runway aka how Malou sold banana bread as a fundraiser event for victims of typhoon ‘Odette’ back in the Philippines.