10 years after joining ArteFino, Jor-El Espina reflects on his evolution with a collection that revisits signature techniques while embracing a brighter, more experimental future.
Jor-El Espina is celebrating a decade with ArteFino through Dekada, a collection that traces his growth from emerging talent to one of the fair’s most established names. The Filipino designer will present the line at ArteFino: Isang Dekada, taking over the ArteFino Atelier at The Fifth, Powerplant Mall, from July 30 to August 2, 2026.
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About The Dekada Collection By Jor-El Espina
Espina credits ArteFino with shaping his design language and building his early clientele. He says the platform pushed him to develop a sharper sense of contemporary, conscious design within a retail context, and he still considers it home base for his brand. “It was where I really began to grow as a designer and a brand. I really began to establish my identity and clientele through ArteFino, and up to this day I regard this platform as my home,” he shares.
Rather than build the collection around one idea, Jor-El split Dekada into three distinct categories, pulling together reimagined signature pieces, newer designs, and one-off garments. He wanted the range to speak to different tastes and different moments in his career, and to give longtime clients something familiar alongside pieces that push his work forward.
The Handwork At The Center
Handwork remains central to the collection. About 70% of the materials use handwoven pineapple fabric, and every piece carries construction details that nod to couture even within a retail setting. Espina uses laser cutting, silk screening, hand painting, and beadwork throughout the line, along with a new signature touch: colored safety pins he has collected over the years, now worked into the garments as an unexpected detail.
The color story marks a shift for the designer. After a decade of favoring natural and muted tones, he says he felt ready to lean into a bolder palette. Reimagined barong pieces appear in candy-colored stripes and color-blocked panels, a departure from his earlier restraint.
Transformer pieces round out the collection, including apron tops and tapis skirts designed to be worn multiple ways. Jor-El built these separates around the idea of a wardrobe that moves from daytime ease to red-carpet impact, treating layering and mixing as an extension of his design process rather than an afterthought.
Looking Back, Looking Forward
For Espina, Dekada functions as both retrospective and forward statement. He describes his time with ArteFino as a continuous evolution that has kept him from settling into a single aesthetic or era. With this collection, he hopes to document that decade of growth and encourage other designers to see their own careers as a similar work in progress.
The collection will be available exclusively at ArteFino: Isang Dekada. Updates and details are available via @jorel_espinaph.
Photos courtesy of Before Deadlines
Frequently Asked Questions
Dekada is Jor-El Espina’s anniversary collection celebrating 10 years with ArteFino. It combines reimagined signature pieces, new designs, and one-of-a-kind garments that reflect different stages of his career.
The collection will be shown at ArteFino: Isang Dekada at the ArteFino Atelier in The Fifth, Powerplant Mall, from July 30 to August 2, 2026.
Espina says ArteFino helped him build his early clientele and refine his approach to contemporary, conscious design while giving him a platform to grow his brand over the past decade.
The collection includes updated signature garments, entirely new designs, one-off creations, and transformable separates such as apron tops and tapis skirts.
The collection draws inspiration from Jor-El Espina’s 10-year journey with ArteFino, combining familiar designs, newer ideas, and techniques that reflect his creative evolution.
