Young designer Kelvin Morales has been reimagining the barong for quite some time now: applying embroidered narratives on the garment, dotting it with fragile appliqués of phalaenopsis. Giving the traditional Filipino shirt a more casual vibe without it ever losing its regal bearing and sense of occasion. His latest experiment—a BTS-inspired barong—got his Instagram fans swooning.
“The idea behind the modern barong is creating an embroidery layout based on the BTS album cover. I used the doodle part to create branches, to make it more cohesive and connected,” Morales tells ANCX. It’s an absolute picker-upper just seeing the creation. We imagine it inspires the kind of joy fans get from the South Korean boy band. We can even imagine it blending in with the group’s wardrobe too.
The barong, made of 100 percent silk cocoon, is a one-off and was commissioned by Fran Omampo, an advertising executive producer/director. A photo of the shirt attracted a lot of praise on Morales’ Instagram, including one from Tourism Secretary Berna Puyat who said, simply: “I want!” But is the designer open to taking orders for the BTS barong? “When we create a custom piece, we don’t mass produce or replicate,” says Morales, “because we want it to be personal and exclusive for the client—but we can still accept different layout or elements of BTS.”
So fans, you know what to do: Get it, let it roll.
Follow @kelvinmorales on Instagram.