‘The idea is to position Benilde as the premier fashion school not just in the country but also in Asia’
In a historic move, the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde has assumed the role of custodian of the legacy of National Artist (Design) Salvacion Lim Higgins and the fashion learning institution, Slim’s Fashion & Arts School, which she founded 65 years ago. Ms. Higgins passed away in 1990.
In a historic move, the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde has assumed the role of custodian of the legacy of National Artist (Design) Salvacion Lim Higgins and the fashion learning institution, Slim’s Fashion & Arts School, which she founded 65 years ago. Ms. Higgins passed away in 1990.
In low-key turnover rites held Sept. 4, 2025, Benilde president Brother Edmundo Fernandez FSC and Higgins’ last remaining heir, her son Mark Lewis Higgins, signed the agreement at the college’s D+A campus in Malate, Manila. The move is deemed to solidify Benilde’s status as a top-tier institution in the Philippine fashion education.
Established in 1960 by Salvacion and her sister Purificacion, Slim’s Fashion & Arts School is the oldest fashion institution in the Philippines which has produced through the decades the top fashion designers in the country, among them Joe Salazar, Michael Cinco, Cesar Gaupo, James Reyes, Joey Samson, Albert Andrada, Martin Bautista, Oliver Tolentino, Ezra Santos, Chito Vijandre, Barge Ramos, Gang Gomez, Jaz Cerezo, Jo Ann Bitagcol.
The Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) Program of Benilde is the first ever fashion bachelor’s degree program in the Philippines. The college is also home to the country’s first museum of modern Philippine fashion, the Benilde Fashion Museum (BFM), whose establishment is under way.
“The idea is really to position Benilde as the premier fashion school not just in the country but also in Asia, both with Slim’s, the Fashion Design and Merchandising Program, as well as the Benilde Fashion Museum,” Benilde president Brother Edmundo Fernandez FSC said during the ceremonial signing. “We want to keep the tradition, knowledge, and history (of Slim’s), and introduce it to a new generation of Filipinos.”
Slim’s is reputed for its rigorous technical curriculum in garment construction as well as its tradition of fashion design anchored in the arts.
By choosing Benilde as the custodian of his mother’s legacy and of Slim’s, Higgins pursues the vision of preserving the school’s curriculum and archives for the years to come.
“It needed an institution like Benilde because they will become custodians of not just the curriculum, the textbooks, but there’s an entire archive of the bounty of work of our National Artists,” Higgins said during the signing. “There are over 300 dresses, a fashion library of all kinds of books, even fashion magazines bound from 1939, and an archive of press articles with my mom’s whole career.”
The Benilde Fashion Museum, headed by architect Gerry Torres, is now the guardian of Slim’s collection of dresses and the works of its alumni. The press archives of both Slim’s and Salvacion Higgins herself will also be housed in the college and the BFM, with an archive of vintage embellishments, original fashion photographs from 1947 to 1990, SLIM’s original design sketches, and her National Artist medal.
Slim’s also turned over its fashion library of over 800 books, as well as the book collection of Mark. Mark’s only sibling, Sandra, passed away in 2020.
Slim’s has been known for providing in-depth technical lessons in garment construction and in fashion design with a foundation rooted in fine arts. Its patternmaking curriculum is copyrighted and registered as the “Slim’s Method.”
Benilde will absorb Slim’s curriculum, retaining its original courses: Dressmaking, Bespoke Tailoring, Fashion Illustration, and Draping. New short courses such as Textile Series, Fashion Business Series, and Styling will be introduced.
Incoming director Christine Cheryl Benet bared plans of expanding the school’s offerings to related Design and Arts courses like Interior Design and Industrial Design.
“The fashion industry has very diverse human capital requirements, from college degree holders to artisans and actual makers. By having the Slim’s Fashion & Arts School, Benilde will be able to contribute more holistically to the whole ecosystem of the Philippine fashion industry,” Benet noted.
According to Benet, this new endeavor will help learners develop a deeper understanding of the evolution of Philippine fashion while making fashion education more accessible to different sectors of the society.
“With this milestone, Benilde will be at the forefront of being the custodian of the garment construction techniques practiced by Filipinos for more than 60 years,” she added. “At the same time, this will allow our students to have a greater appreciation of Filipino history, which is very important for them to continue the legacy of the best Filipino designers by understanding what the true Filipino identity is.”
Online courses will be available to interested students by November 2025, while regular classes will start in January 2026.
