Miss Philippines Earth Yllana Marie Aduana shows how zippers can be glamorous in a Ken Batino ensemble./KEN BATINO FACEBOOK PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Yllana Marie Aduana, the country’s representative in the 2023 Miss Earth pageant, has made another sustainable fashion statement through her wardrobe during the global tilt’s preliminary evening gown competition in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Dec. 3.
The medical laboratory scientist sashayed on the blue carpet at the iconic Saigon Opera House wearing a daring royal blue gown with see-through fabric on the bodice, and geometric design patterns on the bottom part and the bustier using zippers.
“Made of hundreds of recycled zippers, this gown exemplifies the eventual consummation of the divide between plans of saving our [Mother Earth] and putting those plans into action,” Ken Batino, the gown’s designer, said in social media.
LOOK: #MissPhilippinesEarth Yllana Marie Aduana parades in another Ken Batino-designed blue gown, embellished with zippers, at the #MissEarth2023 preliminary evening gown competition in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. .@inquirerdotnet
📸 | Screengrab for Facebook live video pic.twitter.com/5xJ5bxAV2H— Armin Adina (@diyarista) December 3, 2023
“Healing the [Earth] by closing the gap between actions and plans… It takes more than just a woman to achieve a lasting balance and sustainability in this Earth,” he continued.
Batino also made Aduana’s national competition gown, another statement piece that used more than 5,000 safety pins as design accents. The choice of material reflects the urgency to “hold the [Earth] together,” he explained.
The Miss Philippines Earth and Miss Earth pageants both promote environmental awareness and protection, and Aduana vowed to champion sustainability in her competition wardrobe.
Batino has been her go-to designer for her big-ticket outfits, and has also tapped several other fashion artists for her OOTDs (outfits of the day). He is responsible for the iconic gowns that helped Gabrielle Basiano win the “Best in Evening Gown” award in the Binibining Pilipinas pageant for two consecutive years.
Aduana is competing to become the fifth Filipino woman to capture the Miss Earth crown, after Karla Henry (2008), Jamie Herrell (2014), Angelia Ong (2015), and Karen Ibasco (2017).
The 2023 Miss Earth coronation show will be held at the Van Phuc City in Ho Chi Minh City on Dec. 22. Mina Sue Choi, the first winner from Korea, will crown her successor at the end of the program.