August 14, 2026
THE FASHION HEADS: IRENE SUBANG
SIX SCHOOLS. SIX VISIONS. ONE GOAL: TO TEACH FUTURE CREATIVES.
Behind every fashion school is someone keeping the machines running, the minds thinking, the deadlines moving, and—most importantly—the creative spirit alive. Meet the fashion heads shaping the classrooms where tomorrow’s Filipino designers learn to sketch, drape, sew, question, experiment, and, eventually, find their own voice.
For this edition of COOL Burn Book, we meet six of the people shaping Philippine fashion education—from a motherly chairperson and a former model to a Draping Queen, a self-confessed anti-organza academic head, and directors who believe that discipline, technical mastery, business acumen, and creativity are all essential parts of a fashion designer’s survival kit.
Meet Irene Grace Subang, better known to some as Reina—knowledgeable, intimidating, and proudly known as “The Draping Queen.” Her own fashion journey began with curiosity before she fully understood all the rules, and perhaps that was exactly what made experimentation so exciting. She recalls entering fashion school eager to create more complex designs, working with fabrics like lamé, chiffon, and satin even before she knew all their technical demands. For Irene, a great student is passionate, curious, experimental, willing to accept challenges, and ultimately ready to innovate. Her message is unmistakable: break away from mediocrity, accept the challenge, and remember that you are your own brand.
At iAcademy’s Department of Fashion Design and Technology, the goal is to shape the next generation of ethical and socially aware fashion leaders who can confidently navigate an ever-changing industry. Irene sees the future of Filipino fashion returning to traditional artisan craftsmanship while embracing sustainability, ethical practices, and new technologies. She is equally candid about AI: it can be useful for productivity, but students must also develop a distinct voice in a world increasingly filled with AI-assisted imagery. Through collaborations, contests, events, and challenges beyond the classroom, she encourages students to keep building their confidence and design identity. Her words to live by? Remember your WHY. It may be the reason you keep fighting through the late nights, stress, failures, and everything else fashion school throws at you.
Full Name: IRENE GRACE SUBANG
Nickname: not officially, but REINA
Position: OIC for FASHION DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
School:iACADEMY
BURN BOOK QUESTIONS
Three words students would use to describe you. Knowledgeable, “THE Draping Queen,” Intimidating
Coffee, tea, or energy drink during deadlines? It’s between Starbucks’ Signature Hot Chocolate and Milktea with Konjac
A trend you secretly love? I am seeing a lot of pastel floral prints right now and given my inclination to floral arrangement and floral watercolor painting workshops, this speaks to me.
Your fashion icon? Tilda Swinton!
Your favorite designer of all time? THE Cristobal Balenciaga
One wardrobe staple you can't live without? A great pair of well constructed, wool wide leg pants
The best fashion advice you've ever received?
I would like to share an experience when I first started teaching at my alma mater. Draping was the first subject I was going to teach and I was worried how I would start. My former teacher, the late Sir Danilo Franco, told me, “Draping is like molding on a plush toy. You see its curves and irregularities and you make shapes out of fabric on it.”
Thank you forever and RIP, Sir Dan
Another experience that moved me was one afternoon of mentorship with my former employer and internship supervisor, Puey Quiñones, who, after seeing my proposed sketches for my Graduation Show, told me, “I have seen those designs before, they are BORING. I am giving you a CHALLENGE: make a design out of THIS CIRCLE,” gesturing to a circle pattern.
CHALLENGE: ACCEPTED
This one moment amidst the formulation of my collection changed my perception of design. It drove me to experiment with textiles in CIRCLES and SQUARES, strictly ONLY USING DRAPING as my technique. And when he saw my designs again, in full drape and ONLY USING CIRCLES, the shock and awe from someone who was deemed an innovator in fashion, was exceedingly rewarding.
MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED
Favorite comfort food after a stressful week? French Fries.
Weekend plans: sleep, shopping, museum, or beach? On a bright, sunny Sunday (or on my days off), I like to lounge and tan (with skin protection, of course) at our building pool with a new fiction book in hand then join a Hula Dance class at the gym in the afternoon.
Hidden talent outside of fashion? I used to do black and white portrait photography, freelance makeup artistry, and I write poetry to deal with heartbreak.
There was this one time in College I wrote a BL Fanfiction series and had it uploaded on a Fanfiction site. For those who are curious, the site is no longer available (but for the time that my work was online, I got reviews of fans loving my series).
“I believe as human beings, we all have the ability to create. It is even more so with fashion designers and fellow creatives. It is innate in us.”
SIX SCHOOLS. ONE GOAL.
Different classrooms. Different personalities. Different philosophies.
But ask these six fashion heads what they ultimately want from their students, and their answers begin to look remarkably similar. They want young creatives who know their craft but aren’t afraid to question it. Designers who can dream—and execute. Creatives who understand that fashion is art, business, culture, technology, and hard work, all stitched together. Most importantly, they want students who can enter the industry with something no curriculum can simply hand them: a voice of their own.
Because the future of Philippine fashion isn’t going to look like just one thing. It will be global and local, technical and experimental, traditional and disruptive, circular, conscious, digital, handmade, and completely unexpected. And somewhere right now, the next generation is sitting in a classroom—cutting fabric, refining a pattern, sketching an idea, questioning a critique, or staying up far too late to meet a deadline.
The fashion heads are watching. And they’re ready to teach them how to make it happen.#CoolisinSession #CoolBurnBook
