With Celsius, presented at Day 1 of Fashion Week Asia, the Philippines’ own Kelvin Morales turns his creative history into fresh possibilities.
“How many kelvins make up a Celsius?” Kelvin Morales poses the question with a cheeky wink at Fashion WeekFashion WeekA recurring event, held in cities such as Paris, Milan, New York, and London, where designers present upcoming collections to buyers, editors, and celebrities. Fashion weeks set the direction ofGo to Fashion Week Glossary Asia, where he represented the Philippines on the event’s opening day. The answer, as it turns out, has less to do with thermodynamics than with the designer’s growing vocabulary of colors, motifs, and techniques. With Celsius, Kelvin takes inventory of his creative history. He revisits the signatures that have made his work immediately recognizable while finding new ways to put them to use.
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Those acquainted with the designer’s earlier collections will have plenty of “Aha!” moments. Set to a soundtrack that consisted of King Krule and Sixpence None The Richer, Celsius displays the enthusiastic, go-as-you-please attitude that has long informed Kelvin’s approach to fashion. Certain conviction percolates underneath all the playfulness: the flower doodles, the board-game references, the colors. The designer knows his references well enough to have some fun with them. Celsius benefits from his willingness to revisit familiar territory. All the while, it isn’t treated as purely sacred.
Calling Celsius an extension of Aura, his debut womenswear collection, wouldn’t be entirely inaccurate, although the comparison only tells half the story. Kelvin draws from different chapters of his practice. Here, he allows previously explored ideas to accumulate and take on new meanings. What emerges is something of a personal anthology.
The clothes make these connections apparent. A maroon-and-teal check first seen in Aura returns in yellow and cerulean, while Kelvin’s trademark ultramarine finds its way onto pleated tops. Elsewhere, embroidered details beg for a double take. Intricacies are easy to overlook amid the more conspicuous gestures. A sheer patchwork dress in fuchsia, held together by zigzag seams, makes a compelling argument for construction as ornament.
For all its references to the past, Celsius resists becoming a greatest-hits compilation. Morales seems more interested in what happens when old ideas encounter new instincts. There’s a pleasing self-awareness to the exercise, particularly from a designer whose name lends itself so conveniently to the collection’s premise.
See the looks from Kelvin Morales’ “Celcius” collection below.
Photography by Excel Panlaque of KLIQ Inc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kelvin Morales is a Filipino fashion designer known for his signature colors, patterns, intricate embroidery, and distinctive construction techniques.
Celsius is Kelvin Morales’ collection presented at Fashion Week Asia, where he represented the Philippines on Day 1.
Celsius draws from Morales’ earlier work, revisiting the colors, motifs, and techniques that have shaped his design practice while introducing new variations.
Celsius revisits elements from Aura, his first womenswear collection, including a maroon-and-teal checked pattern reinterpreted in yellow and cerulean, while developing Morales’ established design vocabulary.
