Let’s take a closer look at the carefully crafted details of the Barong Pilipino designed by Francis Libiran for the athletes in the 2023 SEA Games.
This year’s Southeast Asian Games saw one of the Philippines’ biggest athlete delegations in history, with over 800 athletes carrying the flag and covering every sport of the tournament. And all of these incredible talents were represented by an all-female parade in the event’s opening ceremony, led by volleyball star Alyssa Valdez.
The parade featured 50 Filipina athletes, which was a first in SEA Games history. And although all the women athletes come from different sports, they all boasted the flag in the same way — with pride, of course, and wearing the same Barong.
The Philippine delegation at the 2023 SEA Games wore a specially designed Barong Pilipino by Francis Libiran called “Araw.”
Let’s take a closer look into the details of this beautiful representation of our country, carried pridefully by our country’s athletes.
In the details
Named “Araw,” which translates to “Sun,” Francis Libiran’s pieces designed for the SEA Games depicted exactly that.
Made out of Philippine jusi fabric, Barong Pilipino clearly portrays the sun against a blue and red base, embodying that of the sun on the Philippine flag. The rays of the sun were intricately and carefully embroidered into the pieces, and fine-tuned by hand, the ornate details bringing a lightness and vibrance to the design, even in its simplicity.
The theme of “Araw” also comes out in more subtle ways in the Francis Libiran design, with stitches of the sun and the stars embedded into the collars, encapsulating the full picture of the Philippine flag.
Bringing all these features together, Francis Libiran has indeed created yet another piece that the country’s athletes at the 32nd SEA Games were proud to wear, especially the 50 women who represented the flag at the opening ceremony parade.
Images taken from Francis Libiran on Instagram.
Related Stories:
Here’s What You Need to Know About the 32nd SEA Games
5 Facts You Didn’t Know About the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy
The Philippines at the FIBA World Cup: Recalling Every Qualification