Salvacion Lim-Higgins (January 28, 1920 – September 15, 1990), also known professionally as Slim, was a Filipino

fashion designer Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...

known for her

haute couture (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term ''haute couture'' generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the ...

. She is considered by many Filipino culture critics to be the mother of the modern ''

terno Terno ( English: " heYoung"), is a Polish Romani music collective founded in 1953. Originally known as ''Kcham'', Terno was founded by Romani musician Edward Dębicki. It has performed in Poland and around Europe. References External links ...

''. In 2022, she was posthumously conferred as a

National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines ( Tagalog: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the President of the Philippines on Philippine nationals who have made significant contributions to ...

, being the second fashion designer to receive the distinction following her contemporary Ramon Valera.

Early life and education

Salvacion Lim-Higgins was born on January 28, 1920, to Luis Samson Lim Katiam and Margarita Navera Diaz. Her father was a Chinese immigrant who was involved in the

ship chandler A ship chandler is a retail dealer who specializes in providing supplies or equipment for ships. Synopsis For traditional sailing ships, items that could be found in a chandlery include sail-cloth, rosin, turpentine, tar, pitch, linseed oil ...

industry while her mother was a housewife. Salvacion had six other siblings. A native of Legazpi, Lim went to Manila to study fine arts at 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) and aimed to be a painter. She had

Botong Francisco Carlos Modesto "Botong" Villaluz Francisco (November 4, 1912 – March 31, 1969) was a Filipino muralist from Angono, Rizal. Early life Francisco was a most distinguished practitioner of mural painting for many decades and best known for his ...

as her mentor in UST. Her studies was disrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She would later enroll at the Traphagen School of Design in New York before returning to the Philippines in 1952.

Career

led her to pursue a more practical career in fashion design. After the end of the war, while waiting for school to resume, she sent sketches of her fashion design to the ''

Manila Times ''The Manila Times'' is the oldest extant English-language newspaper in the Philippines. It is published daily by The Manila Times Publishing Corp. (formerly La Vanguardia Publishing Corporation) with editorial and administrative offices at 2/F ...

'', and began going by the trade name "Slim". Along with her elder sister Purificacion and family friend Consuelo Barberan, Slim would set up a fashion design shop in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

in 1947 which later moved along to what is now

Taft Avenue Taft Avenue (; ) is a major road in southern Metro Manila. It passes through three cities in the metropolis: Manila, Pasay, and Parañaque. The road was named after the former Governor-General of the Philippines and President of the United Stat ...

. Slim, would be heavily influenced by

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

culture of the 1950s and 1960s and would frequent Europe and New York to study fashion collections, learn techniques, and buy designer clothes to further improve her craft. In 1960, Slim and Purificacion founded the Slim's Fashion and Art school, the first fashion school in the Philippines. Slim briefly retired to become a housewife after getting married in the 1960s but came out of retirement in the mid-1970s. She would open her second shop along

Amorsolo Street The Makati Central Business District (Makati CBD) is a privately-owned financial and central business district in the Philippines located in the heart of Makati in Metro Manila. It is politically and administratively known as "Central Cluster ...

Illness and death

Lim would be diagnosed with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

in the mid-1980s despite being a non-smoker. She died on September 15, 1990.

Legacy

Lim would be known for reinventing the ''

''. She was posthumously recognized as a

in June 2022.

Personal life

Lim was married to Hubert Higgins, an Irish

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

in the Philippines, with whom they had two children. They married in 1960 when Lim was 40 years old and Higgins was 47.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lim-Higgins, Salvacion 1920 births 1990 deaths University of Santo Tomas alumni Filipino fashion designers National Artists of the Philippines Filipino people of Chinese descent People from Legazpi, Albay