📓THE FASHION HEADS: MARGARITA SANCHEZ
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.
Strict but fair. Anti-organza. Meet Margarita “Rita” Sanchez, the fashion academic who loves blazers, coats, jackets, and sequins despite living in a tropical country. A fan of Rachel Bilson, Sienna Miller, and Kate Moss, with Cristóbal Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen permanently occupying a spot in her designer hall of fame, Rita brings equal parts wit and discipline to the classroom. For her, a great fashion student is someone who researches, experiments, and isn’t afraid to challenge an idea until it becomes better. Her philosophy is summed up perfectly in one line: “Great design isn’t love at first sketch—it’s usually the fifth revision that steals the show.”
At SoFA Design Institute, students are encouraged to experience fashion beyond the traditional classroom through immersive, hands-on learning and real-world industry exposure. The goal is to graduate students who don’t simply understand fashion theory, but have already experienced something closer to the realities of the industry. Rita emphasizes resourcefulness as one of the most important skills a graduate can have because, in fashion, Google won’t always know, your boss won’t always be available, and the deadline definitely won’t move.
She sees the future of Philippine fashion as a little messy, wildly creative, and deeply intentional—stitched together by designers who aren’t afraid to try, fail, and try again, while making more sustainable and conscious choices along the way. Her words to live by? Research, experiment, revise—and never settle for your first idea.
Full Name: Margarita Sanchez
Nickname: Rita
Position: Academic Chairperson for Fashion Design & GE
School: SoFA Design Institute
SLAMBOOK QUESTIONS
Three words students would use to describe you. Strict but fair. Anti-organza.
Coffee, tea, or energy drink during deadlines? Back in the day, definitely coffee. But because I drank so much coffee back then — now, it’s Iced tea.
A trend you secretly love? Blazers, coats and jackets — despite living in a tropical country. Also sequins, I love sparkle.
Your fashion icon? Rachel Bilson, Sienna Miller, Kate Moss.
Your favorite designer of all time? Just one? I’m a Libra so I can’t pick just one, so I’ll pick two: Cristóbal Balenciaga & Alexander McQueen. No explanation needed. They are legends.
One wardrobe staple you can't live without? Dark denim jeans — you can wear it at least twice without washing and dress it up or down depending on what you pair it with.
The best fashion advice you've ever received? “Monochrome dressing will make you appear taller.” -my Mom.
Favorite comfort food after a stressful week? Grilled prawns if payday. Pizza and chicken wings if on a budget.
Weekend plans: sleep, shopping, museum, or beach? Sleeping is most ideal, but the reality is dealing with laundry.
“Losing confidence is basically part of the fashion curriculum—right between “first muslin” and “final critique.” We remind students that even the best designers have had questionable sketches and designs, but the difference is they kept going, tweaked, and tried again. In fashion, confidence isn’t something you start with—it’s something you stitch together along the way.”
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
