Filipino Americans Reclaiming the Barong
Tiya Antony
Fashion News Editor
The barong is a sheer button-down shirt that is designed with hand stitched embroidery and is the formal wear of the Philippines. The barong is often called barong Tagalog, which translates to the ‘dress of the Philippines.’ Recently, there has been a growing popularity in wearing the barong which displays national pride in a stylistic, cultural way.
The barong was used as an everyday garment because the sheer fabric was practical for the humidity and heat of the Philippines climate. The barong Tagalog was witnessed by the Spanish, during the colonization in the 15th century, and brought to other countries, all having their own distinct versions and differences. The Dominican Republic has a similar garment to the barong, but it features a pleating design, while Cuba has the guayabera with pockets.
President Ramon Magsaysay of the Philippines played a crucial role in making the barong Tagalog the country’s official formal wear. At President Magsaysay inauguration in 1953, he wore the barong to display his unanimity with the common people. This powerful notion created the Philippines to adopt the shirt as formal wear and allowed the fashion to stand out against other global attires, such as tuxedos or suits. After the colonization by America had come to an end, President Magsaysay invested in the garment manufacturing industry and many textile mills used native materials, like pineapple fibers, that are used in making barongs. The barong bolstered the symbol of the Philippine’s independence and resilience through multiple colonized rules and hurdles. The popularity of the barong did wane over time but lately has made a comeback in fashion, especially for Filipinos across the world to display their individual culture.
The men’s fashion director of Nordstrom, Hian Deleon, created a linen blended fabric shirt inspired from a barong. DeLeon stated that “touches like a camp collar and French cuffs…embraced a more global style of embroidery…put these inherently Filipino fashion items into a global context.” Designers are combining fundamental barong elements with more global characteristics in order to place the cultural wear into larger, international fashion platforms.
Filipino American celebrities have worn barongs to various red carpets and large events. Aleali May, designer and influencer, wore a barong with jeans and hoop earring at the Nike “Filipino Forces” dinner last fall. The event highlighted the works of Filipino Americans in various creative industries like music, fashion, and entertainment. Even NBA players, Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney, wore barongs for their ambassadorship with Anta during their Asia tour. These instances put Filipino fashion onto the international stage, spreading knowledge about the culture. The barong Tagalog displays a sense of pride for Filipino immigrants, while documenting the deep history of the Philippines.
Contact Tiya at antonyti@shu.edu