ADMISSION:
Admission is free. 

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DESCRIPTION:
Join us at the USC Pacific Asia Museum for an evening of storytelling, cultural reflection, and fashion celebrating the complexities of Filipinx American identity. In a conversation moderated by Eleanor Lipat-Chesler of the Ube Arte collective, fashion designers Marybelle Bustos and Puey Quiñones will explore the challenges of cultural preservation and the power of fashion as a form of storytelling and, at times, resistance.

Following the discussion, a fashion show of traditional and contemporary attire featuring Quiñones's designs and Bustos’s brand, Bárû Mu, will highlight cultural roots and evolving expressions of Pinoy diasporic identity.

Program Schedule:
6 p.m.: Conversation
7:30 p.m.: Fashion Show
8 p.m.: Refreshments and Music

Bios:

Born and raised in Tataviam land (also known as the San Fernando Valley) in a large Kapampangan family, Marybelle Bustos has been influenced by fashion since she was young. She has fond memories of receiving hand-me-downs from family, attending fittings for special-occasion dresses sewn by her grandma’s neighbor, Apung Feling, and thrifting throughout her teens, which led to her appreciation for fashion as a form of self-expression and attendance at FIDM. Bustos’s diverse career has led her to styling music videos for Filipino American artists in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, and Manila; costume design; product development; and international sales. After 20 years of experience in fashion, Bustos was inspired to start Bárû Mu, a community-led and family-driven passion project that combines storytelling, slow fashion, sustainability, community-building, and cultural awareness.

Eleanor Lipat-Chesler is a cofounder of Ube Arte, a Southern California–based collective of musicians, dancers, and academics with a mission to advance Philippine cultural research and education in the Pilipinx/Filipino American community. She is also a founding member of the Pakaraguian Kulintang Ensemble and coeditor of the digital book Our Culture Resounds, Our Future Reveals: A Legacy of Filipino American Performing Arts in California, with Mary Talusan and Maureen Russell. Lipat-Chesler studied music and anthropology at Barnard College, Columbia University, and ethnomusicology at UCLA, where she wrote her MA thesis on gender issues in transnational kulintang performance. As a Fulbright fellow, she conducted doctoral fieldwork among itinerant folk-theater troupes in Thailand and Laos. Her article “Thailand: Contemporary Performance Practice” appears in the 2019 SAGE Encyclopedia of Music and Culture.

Puey Quiñones is an internationally acclaimed fashion designer celebrated for his innovative, feminine, and timeless aesthetic. After a successful ten-year tenure running a design house in Manila, he took a bold step and relocated to Los Angeles. Driven by a profound passion for the arts and exceptional abilities in draping, fabric manipulation, and creating transformative garments, Quiñones is committed to designing unique pieces for discerning women around the globe. With 25 years of experience in the fashion industry, Quiñones has emerged as a source of pride for both the Philippines and the global Filipino community. He has been honored as one of the 100 most influential Filipinos worldwide and received the People of the Year award from People Asia in 2024. In addition to his design work, Quiñones is recognized for his philanthropic efforts. He established a school within a maximum-security prison in the Philippines, where he teaches inmates the skills of fashion, arts, and design.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices. Organized by the USC Pacific Asia Museum.