During the ABS-CBN Ball 2019, many of the celebrities’ gowns looked similar to creations of known foreign designers. It is unclear whether or not they were deliberate copies or just inspirations.
Just take a look and decide for yourselves.
Maja Salvador’s white ensemble by Puey Quiniones looked so similar to Ellie Saab’s creation.
Comparison by FashionPulis.
Maymay Entrata’s flower headpiece was similar to Dolce and Gabbana’s
Comparison by FashionPulis.
Miles Ocampo’s flower sleeve by Marc Rancy looked identical with Alexander MacQueen’s.
Comparison by FashionPulis.
Francis Libiran’s modern Filipiniana take for ABS-CBN executive Charon Santos, Gretchen Fullido, and Maricar Reyes which were all almost the same.
Comparison by FashionPulis.
But is it imitation or inspiration? In fashion, imitation and inspiration are separated by a very thin and blurred line.
In an article by The Fashion Law, “‘Imitation is the blatant replication of the cut, construction, print, pattern, and/or other features of another garment or accessory’ whereas Inspiration is ‘taking existing elements and interpreting them in a new way.’ Inspiration is extremely commonplace not only because so much has already been done (i.e., jeans have been around since the late 1800’s), but because fashion at its core is driven by the practice of adopting design elements of the past and adapting them so they resonate with modern day consumers,” it said.
Thus not all even almost similar gowns should be just tagged as copycat or imitation because just like music and art, one artist always finds influence and inspiration from others.
And as the article in The Fashion Law says, “If we were to start calling ‘COPY!’ every time an existing element was used, fashion would be left in an inherently problematic position,” it added.
The ABS-CBN Ball 2019 is a charity event for the benefit of Bantay Bata. This year paid homage to the late former ABS-CBN Foundation Chairman Gina Lopez. Proceeds of the ball will be given to Bantay Bata to bring hope to underprivileged children throught their Bantay Edukasyon program. The program will cover the children’s educational needs from complete tuition assistance to meal and transportation allowances.
