Fashion & Memory: Angela Hermano Crenshaw
Filipino Dress, Identity, and Family Legacies
Angela Hermano Crenshaw and interdisciplinary artist Janna Añonuevo Langholz at an event Angela organised at the Bard Graduate Center in March 2024. Angela is wearing an antique Filipina blouse, a gift from her grandmother. Image courtesy of Angela Hermano Crenshaw.
Angela Hermano Crenshaw with a piña piece at the RISD Museum’s exhibition From Pineapple to Pañuelo: Philippine Textiles, December 2025. Image courtesy of Angela Hermano Crenshaw.
In this installment of Fashion & Memory, I spoke with Angela Hermano Crenshaw, a New York City-based art historian, curator, and educator, whose work delves into the relationships between Filipino dress, identity, and history. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD at the Bard Graduate Center, focusing on American receptions of the Philippines during the American colonial period, particularly through material objects such as the piña fabric, made from pineapple leaf fibers. Angela recently curated the exhibition From Pineapple to Pañuelo: Philippine Textiles at the RISD Museum, which closes on August 24, 2025.
In our conversation, Angela reflects on her family’s embrace of Filipino dress and culture, offering compelling narratives on Southeast Asia fashion, including how Filipino fashion designer Pitoy Moreno created her grandmother’s wedding dress. She also reveals her personal journey exploring her Filipino American identity and how it has shaped her research pursuits.
Blessing of the new house that Angela Hermano Crenshaw’s grandparents moved into in Dasmariñas, Cavite, August 1969. Her grandfather, Francisco Hermano, is on the left wearing a barong, alongside a priest. Her grandmother Josephine Hermano, is wearing a white top, with her sister beside her. Image courtesy of Angela Hermano Crenshaw.
Can you share more about your and your family's background and their connection to Southeast Asia?
My grandmother's family is originally from the Province of Zambales, while my grandfather's roots trace back to Capiz. My dad is American and my mom is from the Philippines. She moved to the United States (US) when she was about 20 years old, although her immediate family was largely educated here. Unlike her family, who eventually returned to Manila, where most of them still reside, my mom chose to stay in the US. I was born in New York and raised in the US, but much of my childhood summers and Christmases were spent in the Philippines.
Wedding photographs of Angela Hermano Crenshaw’s grandparents, Josephine Labrador and Francisco Hermano, March 1967. Josephine’s wedding dress was designed by Filipino fashion designer Pitoy Moreno. Images courtesy of Angela Hermano Crenshaw.
Filipino fashion designer Pitoy Morero adjusting the hair of Angela Hermano Crenshaw’s grandmother, Josephine Labrador, for her wedding, March 1967. Also pictured is her mother, Concepcion Magsaysay Labrador, sister of Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay. Image courtesy of Angela Hermano Crenshaw.
Has your family’s cultural traditions influenced how you view fashion or dress today?
My family has always had a strong sense of style and interest in appearances. Growing up, I watched my mom and grandmother ensure we always looked our best whenever we stepped out. My grandmother Josephine was an interior designer and belonged to a group of women who played a pivotal role in establishing the interior design industry in the Philippines. While her work was not directly related to fashion, her involvement in design and creativity deeply influenced me. Additionally, both my parents are art historians, like myself. So, growing up, I was surrounded by an environment rich in creativity, art, and design.
Angela Hermano Crenshaw’s great-great-grandmother, Perfecta del Fierro Magsaysay, wearing a terno, January 1971. Image courtesy of Angela Hermano Crenshaw.
Angela Hermano Crenshaw’s great-great-grandmother, Perfecta del Fierro Magsaysay, wearing a terno, with Angela’s mother, Perfecta del Fierro Magsaysay, January 1971. Image courtesy of Angela Hermano Crenshaw.
What role has Southeast Asian dress played in your family? Were there any specific garments or textiles that were particularly important?
In my family, the men wore barongs, or a Filipino embroidered long-sleeved shirt for men, which are made of piña, a fabric crafted from pineapple leaf fibers. The women wore the terno, the Filipino dress for women, which is recognised for its semicircular flat sleeves. However, Filipino dress was mostly reserved for special occasions, like weddings. Throughout my lifetime, I noticed the barong being worn more frequently than the terno. I also had a great aunt passionate about collecting indigenous textiles from various regions in the Philippines. She gifted me a couple of pieces from her collection, which I still treasure today.
Have you seen younger generations or younger designers in the Philippines or of diaspora communities embracing cultural dress?
I follow a few designers who are reinventing the barong with modern twists, like unique embroidery styles and creative, unconventional elements. There is a constant emergence of new designers reinterpreting traditional garments in fresh, innovative ways. My cousins, who are around my age or younger, do not frequently wear traditional Filipino styles or silhouettes, but they have a strong interest in supporting local brands. These brands are dedicated to producing their goods in the Philippines and utilising native materials like piña and abacá. Many of these designs are not only embracing traditional fabrics, but also exploring sustainable practices, reimagining how these materials can be used in contemporary fashion.
How have cultural dress styles and significance changed within your family over generations?
My great-great-uncle was Ramon Magsaysay (1907-1957), the former President of the Philippines. He grew up in the countryside and became popular as a man of the people. He played a significant role in repopularising Filipino dress, like the terno, and often wore the barong during national speeches. Although his life was tragically cut short in a helicopter crash, his efforts helped spark a renewed appreciation for cultural dress in the Philippines.
How have your family’s cultural traditions/background influenced your work/research?
Growing up mainly in the US, I have consistently looked for ways to connect back to my Filipino roots, especially since the Philippines is rarely mentioned in American education. Aside from a brief mention of the Philippine-American War in U.S. history classes, there is little emphasis on the country’s history, despite its past as an American colony, which many people are not aware of. My real opportunity to study Filipino culture came in graduate school, where I could pursue more personalised research. I took a class called “Re-Orienting Fashion: Dress, Culture, & East Asia,” which mainly covered China, Japan, and Korea. For my final project I asked my professor if I could focus on the Philippines, feeling it might be my only chance to explore this academically. This led to my first research project in piña textiles, which became the foundation of my master’s thesis and has influenced my exhibition at the RISD Museum and now my PhD research. Being Filipino American has profoundly shaped my academic journey. It is driven by a desire to reconnect with my heritage, while being mindful of my positionality in the U.S. and the privileges that come with it.
In what ways do you think fashion and dress can be a tool for storytelling and cultural preservation, especially for Southeast Asia cultures?
Southeast Asian fashion and dress have not received as much attention as other regions, including parts of Asia itself. Family photographs and personal memories are powerful tools for telling these stories, especially considering the challenges of cultural preservation in the Philippines. Unfortunately, much of the material culture has not survived, and I am not aware of any Filipino clothing or garments from before the 19th century. This is partly due to the climate in the Philippines, which is hot and humid and prone to natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanos, and hurricanes.
Additionally, colonialism has played a significant role in the loss of cultural objects. The renowned Filipino scholar and curator Marian Pastor Roces discovered that 90% of Filipino material culture is housed outside the Philippines. For example, about 10,000 Filipino objects are housed in the Field Museum in Chicago, as well as many in the Smithsonian and the British Museum. The Philippines was a Spanish colony for 350 years, followed by 50 years as an American colony. Despite being an important hub in the Manila Galleon tear, much of the material culture was taken abroad. During the Philippine-American War, there was significant looting and destruction of cultural artefacts. Global events, like World War II, during which Manila was one of the most destroyed cities, further contributed to the loss of historical objects, including dress and textiles.
Today, there are few public collections and a lack of digitisation, which makes it even harder to preserve these cultural objects. Despite these challenges, storytelling and cultural preservation are critical. With the large Filipino diaspora worldwide, dress can serve as an important vehicle for preserving culture, even for those far from home. Many Filipino communities across the globe hold on to these traditions, ensuring that the culture continues to be passed down through generations.
To learn more about Angela Hermano Crenshaw and her work, please visit her website at https://www.angelacrenshaw.com.
About the Writer
Faith Cooper is the creator of the Asian Fashion Archive. She graduated from FIT, studying art and fashion history. Under the Fulbright programme, she is researching Taiwanese fashion and cultural identity at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan. To learn more or connect with Faith, please visit her website.