Tucked inside Patis Tesoro’s retrospective, “Filipiniana is Forever: The Unraveling of Culture and Couture” at the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art is a remarkable collection of hardwood sculptures, designed by the Grand Dame of Philippine Fashion and masterfully rendered by sculptor Ronald Asido.

Complementing Tesoro’s fabric designs and textile creations is “Filipino Nation,” with each piece a vivid tableau of Filipino daily life highlighted by market and farm scenes, rural and domestic routines, and quiet moments of community and individuality, captured with extraordinary detail and cultural sensitivity.

The figures are dressed in traditional Filipino attire, from barong and saya to indigenous textiles, embodying Tesoro’s lifelong commitment to preserving and promoting native craftsmanship.

See her collection here: The Allure of Filipiniana, Distinctively by Patis Tesoro

Carved from rich Philippine hardwood, Asido’s sculptural execution brings Tesoro’s vision to life with a soulful tactility. Each gesture, fold, and texture is carved with reverence. The collaboration between designer and sculptor creates a timeless dialogue between art and tradition, bridging past and present.

This exhibition is not only a visual feast but also a cultural reflection that invites viewers to reconnect with the rhythms of Filipino life and to recognize the enduring beauty of our roots.

Timeless Tesoro

Rooted in the rich cultural soil of Iloilo and Pampanga, Patis Tesoro, born Maria Beatriz Pamintuan Tesoro, grew up surrounded by tradition, artistry, and the handmade. A childhood nickname from her brother, “Patis,” after the Filipino fish sauce, playfully stuck and would later become iconic in the worlds of fashion and culture.

From her early years at Assumption Iloilo, she showed an extraordinary eye for color, texture, and form. Her skills were nurtured by a home steeped in craft. Her talent in embroidery blossomed into a lifelong devotion to Filipino heritage through textile and design.

A slideshow of Patis Tesoro and Ronald Asido sculptures at Gallery 3, ILOMOCA

In 1945, Tesoro’s: The House of Philippine Treasures was founded by her grandmother, Salud Tesoro. But it was in 1970, after marrying Atty. Tito Tesoro, that Patis fully carved her path by merging her mother Nena Fabella’s fashion sensibility with a personal vision rooted in indigenous materials and traditional silhouettes.

Today, the Patis Tesoro look is synonymous with Filipino elegance, cultural pride, and identity. More than a designer, she is a storyteller, with her creations in piña, jusi, and cotton weaving together past and present with grace and intentionality.

Patis Tesoro is timeless, fearless, and forever handmade. Indeed, she is a guardian of Filipino craftsmanship.