Cordilleran fashion designer brings ‘inabel’ craftsmanship to Los Angeles Fashion Week

Baguio City, Philippines – Getting to showcase her creative designs to the world is only the main aim of Ginalyn Brown Tayag, an Igorot designer, but also to show the rich Cordillera heritage through its vibrant textiles, the ‘inabel’. 

Recently, Tayag, who is from Baguio City, brought her ‘Tapis and Baag’ collection to the Los Angeles Fashion Week (LAFW) 2025, which took place on March 15, 2025, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

Talking to GURU Press Cordillera, Tayag explained that her ‘Tapis and Baag’ is beyond being a label, saying, “… it’s a movement. We want people to wear their roots proudly, and in doing so, support living traditions and sustainable futures.”

Fueled by her will to stand out, Tayag served the LAFW 2025 attendees with heritage-meets-high fashion through the vibrant inabel textile adorned with materials from other islands in the Philippines. She narrated that she infused the Cordillera textile with the ‘solihiya’ of Visayas and the ‘tinalak’ of Mindanao.

“I wanted to stand out; if I’m going to an international stage, I’m not going to show typical designs of our fabric,” she said.

Including BSU designs in the collection

Of the 22 designs showcased by the Tapis and Baag in the LAFW 2025 runway, one of them is designed by students from the Benguet State University.

Tayag, who wanted to nurture the talents of young bloods interested in weaving, donated a loom weaving machine to BSU in 2024 and encouraged them to bring out their creativity in designing woven fabric, as she is willing to take their works to the international stage. Thus, one of their designs was included in the LAFW 2025.

“With that, I hope I am boosting their interest in designing, weaving, and boosting the school to continue to do what they’re doing to support their students,” she said.

Advice to aspiring designers

In just a year and a half in the fashion industry, Tayag has already received several invitations from global fashion organizers, one of which is the prestigious New York Fashion Week, which she attended in February 2024.

When asked about her advice to the young and aspiring designers, she said that ignoring any negativity will help in achieving goals and that they should continue to be inspired by good people instead.

“Be innovative, be original; keep breaking boundaries! Continue to do what you do best,” Tayag added.

For this year, Tayag, together with the BSU student-designers, is already preparing for yet another international fashion show this coming September 2025.