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Avel Bacudio is a Filipino Fashion Designer. He was hailed as Mercedes Benz Stylo as Asia's Most Influential Fashion Designer of 2014. Despite all his awards and achievements, Avel not only makes couture clothes but also comfy and casual clothes for the people on-the-go yet on a budget.

Avel's Early Life

Avel grew up in a town called Buhi in Camarines Sur. He grew up with nine sibling and admits that his life was very different before . He would sell greens and bonnets made by his siblings. His mother was a suit maker. She would repair her children’s clothes and hand-me-downs and Avel watched very closely. From there, the designer’s passion for design was fueled . He journeyed to Manila for a fresh start and in order to help his family. Avel was once a Visual Merchandiser for Plaza Fair, a department store in the heart of Manila. However, he never stopped sewing. He eventually worked with Boardwalk Business Ventures as a designer. He has also mentored young and aspiring fashion designers in Boardwalk’s Designer Show Off .

Avel's Work

A lot of Avel’s work is structural, architectural, and is usually in black, white, or gray. In an interview with CondoLiving Magazine, Avel shares why he always uses a monochrome palette for his works . “Black signifies the time in the province when life was really difficult. The color gray stands for the time I hopped in Manila and that I was seeing a glimpse of my future, like going to gray. And essentially, the color white for where I am now. I don’t have anything more to ask for. I didn’t expect my life would turn out this way,” Avel shares.

Avel does a lot of couture looks to bridal gowns and even dashing suits for Manila’s hottest celebrities. A new venture the designer is exploring is comfy and casual couture with Avel Designs.

Awards

In 1999, Avel started joining design competitions, competing with big names such as Josie Natori and Inno Sotto, Manila’s Prince of Fashion. He won the Smirnoff Fashion Award in 2002 . Right after, he joined the Concours International des Jeunes Createurs de Mode in 2004 and won the People’s Choice and Citation Award. He has also joined the Young Designer Exhibition Chiba Japan and Young Designer Competition in Osaka, Japan, both held in 2000. In 2001, he joined the Asian Connection in Singapore.

The most prestigious award given to Avel was in Malaysia 2014. He was hailed as Asia's Most Influential Fashion Designer by Mercedez Benz Stylo. He debuted a collection inspired by architectural silhouettes from his travels. The collection had a monochrome and dominantly neutral color scheme with a lot of structural elements. The fashion designer cites this as the moment he realized Filipino designers “have what it takes to be considered worldclass designers .

Avel's Clients

A even prior to winning big awards abroad, Avel Bacudio has been designing and creating couture clothes for local celebrities and influencers. From classic Filipino stars like Jean Garcia, Ernie Lopez, and Vina Morales, to the top entertainment queens like Kris Aquino and Charo Santos-Concio, Avel has designed for everyone. Among the young ones that he has designed for are: Piolo Pascual, Bea Alonzo, John Lloyd Cruz, Sarah Geronimo, Alden Richards, Janine Gutierrez, Jerome Ponce, Donnie Pangilinan, and many more rising names in the industry. He has also dressed up Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. His tight relationship with these celebrities have lead to partnerships and designer clothing collaborations.

Avel and His Collaborations with Local Celebrities

In 2018, Avel Bacudio released a denim collection with Filipino-Italian celebrity Matteo Guidicelli. The collaboration was in the works for a year. #AvelXMatteo is a 20 piece ripped jeans collection for the modern man and woman. According to Matteo, he was the one who approached Avel to create the collection. "I told him I was really eager to design a denim line with him. From the start, he really understood my vision. That’s why we were able to come up with designs that are exactly how I wanted them to be--sexy yet wearable at the same time. I’m very happy with how the jeans turned out. They’re very ME," Matteo points out. According to goal of the Avel X Matteo collection was to make designer jeans accessible for everyone. All of the jeans are priced at P1499. Mostly sold online, the collection was also made available to the market through several pop-up stores in Megaworld Malls.

Avel Bacudio and Matteo Guidicelli collaborate on Avel X Matteo 2020

Due to the success of the #AvelXMatteo collection, the two decided to release a more premium and limited edition line called #AvelXMatteo2020. Twenty pieces designed by Avel and 20 designed by Matteo. However, due to the two’s obsession with quality, only 36 jeans were rolled out. It is now available online through Shopee, Zilingo, and Avel Designs.

Avel's Advocacy

When he was four years old, Avel fell down the stairs and damaged his eyes. Ever since then, he has had retinal detachment, making hospital visitsl a routine. He shares in a video that he couldn’t imagine losing his eyesight for a lifetime, which is why giving back to the kids who have visual impairments are so important for him . Avel shares that while they cannot see the sunrise or the sunset, these kids can feel the love and support you give them. This is why he always gives a fraction of his earnings to the Northern Luzon Association for the Blind School of the Blind in Baguio City . A fraction of all sales from his collections are always donated to Avel’s advocacy.