Ben Farrales (1 July 1932 – 6 March 2021) was a Filipino fashion designer most known for his Muslim-inspired dress designs.

Early life and education

Farrales was born on July 1, 1932, in

Cotabato City Cotabato City, officially the City of Cotabato (Maguindanao language, Maguindanaon: ''Kuta nu Kutawatu'', Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ; Cebuano language, Cebuano: ''Dakbayan sa Cotabato''; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, inde ...

to Salvador Farrales and Paulina Samio. He attended

San Beda College San Beda University () is a private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Order of Saint Benedict in San Miguel, Manila, Philippines. It was founded by the Benedictines in 1901. The main campus is situated ...

for his early education. Flunking math, Farrales also had to repeat the subject in Cotabato, where he took note of the attires worn by Muslim women in the area. Faralles attended the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

(UST) for his collegiate studies where he pursued a degree on fine arts. By the time he was a freshman college student, he was working part-time in a department store in Manila which is often patronized by wealthy women.

Career

Ben Farrales, affectionately called "Mang Ben" had been a fashion designer for more than 60 years and had high-profile actresses and socialites as his clients. He became known as the "Dean of Philippine Fashion", a title given to him by socialite and Karilagan Arts International founder Conching Sunito in his 30s. He is known for his Muslim-inspired ternos. He was also the first Filipino to organize a fashion show at the

Manila Hotel The Manila Hotel is a 550-room, historic five-star hotel located along Manila Bay in Manila, Philippines.

in 1959 and the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in the United States in 1984. He was designer of

Ruffa Gutierrez Sharmaine Ruffa Rama Gutierrez (born June 24, 1974) is a Filipino actress, model, TV host, and beauty pageant titleholder. She was the 1992 Look of the Year - Philippines, Binibining Pilipinas World 1993 and Second Runner-up to Miss World 199 ...

Sarimanok The Sarimanok (Pronunciation: sá·ri·ma·nók), also known as papanok in its feminine form, is a legendary bird of the Maranao people, who originate from Mindanao, an island in the Philippines, and part of Philippine mythology. It comes fro ...

-inspired dress which she wore at the

Miss World 1993 Miss World 1993, the 43rd edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 27 November 1993 at the Sun City Entertainment Centre in Sun City, South Africa. It was the second time that the Miss World pageant was held in the South Africa.The pagea ...

beauty pageant. Farrales has received various awards and recognitions for his works; including being named Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL), and recognitions from the

Philippine Red Cross The Philippine Red Cross (PRC; ; ) is a non-profit humanitarian organization and a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The PRC was established in 1947, with roots in the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colon ...

and his alma mater

San Beda University San Beda University () is a private university, private Catholic coeducational basic and higher education institution run by the Order of Saint Benedict in San Miguel, Manila, San Miguel, Manila, Philippines. It was founded by the Benedictines ...

. He has also received an award from the

Cultural Center of the Philippines The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP; ) is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) established to preserve, develop and promote Arts in the Philippines, arts and Culture of the Philippines, culture in the Philippines.Presid ...

in 2015. He has also been endorsed to be named as a National Artist for fashion design.

Death

Farrales died on March 6, 2021, at the age of 88.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrales, Ben San Beda University alumni University of Santo Tomas alumni Filipino fashion designers 1932 births 2021 deaths People from Cotabato City