Fernandez, Maryjoyce

Fernandez, Maryjoyce
@mjferndez / @ferndezcreations.ph

Each piece in this collection mirrors the process of cooking instant noodles step by step, just like the personal journeys we all go through. Life often throws unexpected twists our way, and learning to embrace those turns is essential. Just as noodles must be cooked to the right texture not too soft, not too firm as well in life, too, requires balance. After all, no one wants to deal with soggy decisions.

In exploring this concept, I asked myself: “How can I turn the essence of noodles into wearable pieces?” I chose barnyard millet as my core inspiration, using smocking and stitching techniques to replicate the strands’ texture and transformation. The result is a collection that captures both movement and depth fusing raw material and meaning into an avant-garde expression of change, structure, and style.

Maryjoyce Fernandez, or MJ, is a young fashion designer in AB-Fashion Design and Merchandising at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. With a focus on styling and creative construction, she turns fabric into narrative using smocking, appliqué, and manipulation techniques to explore the balance between softness and structure, identity and transformation.

Her fashion brand, Ferndez Creations, was created as a reflection of life’s transitions. Each made-to-order piece is designed to move seamlessly between daily life and performance, between the personal and the bold. Through intentional silhouettes and layered textures, Ferndez Creations empowers individuals to express who they are becoming with confidence, purpose, and style.

Designing this collection challenged me to clearly translate my ideas and techniques into pieces that were both manageable to construct and strong in visual impact. This experience taught me how to align my creative vision with practical execution. Among all the stages, hand crochet became my favorite even though it was not my strongest skill, as pushing myself to use it allowed me to grow and gain confidence. If given the chance to revisit one stage, I would focus again on crochet, as I now see its importance and potential in the fashion market alongside traditional textile techniques.

The collection helped me better understand my identity as a designer who prioritizes storytelling and concept-driven design, which is evident in Look 2 where my style remained consistent despite experimenting with different techniques. What started as an inspiration from my favorite cup of noodles evolved into a narrative about resilience and facing life’s challenges. Look 5 best represents the collection due to its combination of techniques and materials, while Look 4 became an unexpected favorite after last-minute changes to its longer, asymmetric hemline. Throughout the process, I refined my fabric manipulation skills the most, particularly smocking and detailed stitching, which helped bring texture and movement to the garments.