Whenever I feel down on myself or question my career, I always try to remember my why. I started considering fashion design as a career when I was 13, but I didn’t know where to begin or who to turn to. I would look up “Filipino fashion designers” and only saw a few that I resonated with. I wanted someone to look up to within the ready-to-wear/contemporary/streetwear space here in LA. At the time, I didn’t know anyone else who had a large interest in fashion and knew how to sew, so I turned to the internet to find a community. I’m 28 now, and I’m so grateful that I continued pursuing my passions after all these years. I’ve been documenting my life as a fashion designer for over a decade now and I hope that I’ve been able to inspire others along the way. There’s still so much more to my journey and I’m excited for the future — Denim Filipiniana + pants designed and sewn by me @hiladoofficial — #filipinoamericanhistorymonth #fashiondesign #filipinoamerican #fahm #filipinoartist