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Construction Layers - A New Artisanal Voice

Construction Layers began long before the brand officially existed. Long before collections, presentations, or atelier production, it started between two industrial design students in the Philippines trying to understand what fashion could become beyond clothing itself.

Kendrick and CP first met during art school while studying industrial design, a discipline traditionally focused on furniture, objects, and everyday product systems. But outside the classroom, both were already gravitating toward fashion. Not necessarily through trends, but through garments as constructed objects - pieces shaped by utility, material behavior, proportion, and human interaction. They recognized similar interests in one another early on: a fascination with historical tailoring, workwear, construction techniques, and the emotional relationship between garments and the wearer.

Before the brand even properly started, they sat down together to ask themselves a series of long-term questions. Could this become something serious? Did their values align? Was this a hobby or a life’s work? That early sense of intentionality still defines Construction Layers today.

Officially founded in 2019, the Manila-based label has developed slowly and deliberately. A two-year pandemic hiatus interrupted their momentum, but instead of rushing to return, Kendrick and CP used the period to build the foundation they felt the brand truly needed: their own atelier. That decision now sits at the core of Construction Layers’ identity. Rather than relying heavily on outsourcing, the duo wanted direct involvement in every stage of development - from fabric experimentation and dye testing to pattern cutting, stitching, and finishing.

The result is a small but tightly controlled operation built around a team of four artisans and a philosophy centered on longevity, experimentation, and refinement.

The name Construction Layers reflects that philosophy almost literally.

On the surface, the title references garment construction itself - pattern making, layering fabrics, tailoring, stitching, and structural development. But for Kendrick and CP, the meaning runs deeper than technique alone. The “layers” represent accumulation: layers of ideas, collaboration, craftsmanship, references, relationships, and personal growth built over time. Every collection becomes a continuation of that process rather than a disconnected seasonal concept. This gives the brand a sense of gradual evolution rather than seasonal reinvention.

Their references originate primarily from late 19th and early 20th century European clothing - particularly French workwear, Victorian tailoring, and Edwardian silhouettes. But the duo is careful to distinguish their work from reproduction-based fashion. They are not trying to recreate archival garments one-to-one. What interests them is the logic behind those garments: the subtle shaping, layered tailoring, pocket constructions, aging qualities, and quiet detailing that often disappear in contemporary mass production.

Their research also extends to antique garments and Japanese vintage stores, where the precision of curation sharpened their eye for historical detail without turning the work into reproduction.

That influence can be felt throughout Construction Layers’ work. Their garments rarely rely on loud silhouettes or aggressive experimentation. Instead, the details reveal themselves gradually: asymmetrical pocket shapes, subtle switching constructions, reversed fabric panels, intentionally uneven strip work, hand stitching, soft natural dye variations, and tailoring adjustments that only become visible after closer inspection.

What separates the brand further from many heritage-inspired labels is the way those references are filtered through the Philippines itself.

Although their visual language draws from European workwear and tailoring traditions, the garments are fundamentally shaped by tropical living, local craftsmanship, and Filipino material culture. Their collections rely heavily on breathable natural fibers such as linen, ramie, cotton blends, and translucent pineapple textiles suited for heat and movement. Fabrics are sourced across Asia, including Japan and the Philippines, but always selected with texture, tactility, and aging behavior in mind.

Natural dyeing has also become an increasingly important part of their process. During recent collections, the designers began incorporating locally sourced Philippine dyes through extensive in-house experimentation and collaboration with regional dye producers. One example is their use of mahogany dye, which creates pale washed pink tones that interact uniquely with textured jacquard and linen surfaces.

Their approach to dyeing feels more exploratory than decorative. Different fibers absorb pigment unevenly, allowing textures and woven structures to emerge naturally through the overdye process. Rather than aiming for total uniformity, Construction Layers embraces unpredictability - seeing variation, fading, and aging as part of the garment’s life cycle.

That philosophy becomes especially visible in one of the collection’s standout pieces: a striped suit constructed without using striped fabric at all.

Instead, individual strips of fabric were cut and hand-stitched directly onto the base textile before the garment itself was assembled. The process reportedly takes artisans several days to complete before construction even begins. The result is a deeply textured surface where the stripes appear slightly irregular, dimensional, and alive. Over time, the edges naturally fray and evolve through wear, reinforcing the designers’ ongoing interest in garments aging alongside the wearer.