The first CHamorus at London Pacific Fashion Week
Donation protected
Come join us on our journey to London Pacific Fashion Week! Our Sakman is ready to travel across the Atlantic and we want to bring you all along. This coming September, a group of CHamoru artists and designers have been invited to London, to showcase fashions, designs and adornments to the world. This will be the first time the Mariana Islands will be represented at LPFW, and we are looking to wow the runway with our CHamoru spirit and ferocity. From hand painted dresses to couture gaosali dresses, we have 3 designers coming together to create 14 looks to dazzle and inspire you, from head to toe.
Content
1. Who we are
2. Members
3. Where are we going
4. Our Collection
5. Our Models
6. The Runway
7. Why are we going
8. Your Support
9. Gifts
Who we are

Guma’ Ge’la (House of Difference) is an inclusive collective with a mission to cultivate and innovate the CHamoru culture through interdisciplinary artistic expression. We are storytellers made up of illustrators, make-up artists, poets, performers, photographers, singers, weavers- and designers! Through our collaborative work, we amplify each others’ voice and bring fantasy into reality. Effectively granting people permission to exist in their entirety while building community.
Our vision for this coming collection is to be “part land, part sea, and all ancestry."
Members
Jessica Vergel | Designer

Hafa Adai! I’m Jessie and I’m twenty years-old. I’m currently studying Communication Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. My personal art and design work focuses on progressing the representation and voice of CHamoru people and our culture. Through experimenting with multiple mediums, I aim to create messages and imagery that are colorful, positive and whimsical. Although I was born and raised in the states, my maternal grandmother is from Agana Heights and my paternal grandmother is from Sinajana, on Guahan. I am dedicating my work to them.
Artist Statement
Guma’ Ge’la’s quote “Part land, part sea & all ancestry,” unifies my four garments because each garment is designated to embodying the land, the ocean and my CHamoru ancestors. On the garments, I am using words, imagery and colors that I personally and culturally resonate with, to contemporarily pay homage to my CHamoru identity. Through the process of printmaking and painting symbolic images like the Latte Stone and native flowers to Guam, I am discovering more about my culture and history. It allows me to continue valuing the land and its resources. Additionally, I am using typography and quotes help my audience to understand my passion for my heritage. This project has allowed me to artistically express what it means for me to be a modern-day CHamoru woman.
See more of my work @vergelcreates on IG.
Roldy Aguero Ablao | Designer

Hafa adai yan buenas todos hamyu! My name is Roldy Aguero Ablao and my family comes from the island of Guam in the Marianas, the Philippines and Korea. I was raised in the small village of Yona, spending my formative years on the island until I moved to Seattle to attend college at the University of Washington. An island guy through and through, it took me some years to let go of the shorts and t-shirts I brought from the island to the flannel and corduroy that is so iconic of the Pacific Northwest.
The island has always been a home for me, and find myself calling back to it in my art and the things that I create. Through her stories, her people, her resilience - it is these things that keep me moving forward, and inspires me to continue creating and sharing more about this place I call home.
Check out my instagram @hafaroldy.
Roquin-Jon Quichocho Siongco | Designer

My name is Roquin and I am an artist and designer living in Washington. Raised in Yigo, I have always been creative. When I first picked up weaving at a young age, I channeled my artistic efforts towards my CHamoru heritage. However, relocating to Washington gave me my first memories of being mahalang. But this also encouraged me to dig into my roots deeper whenever I got the chance.
I dedicate my work to my family and loved ones who have always supported me throughout my endeavors. Especially my nana, whom I inherited my creativity from. This collection is just chesa (a taste) of what's to come. "Part land, part sea, all ancestry", these fashions embody just that. Through the process of innovation, this aesthetic aids the evolution of what is means to be CHamoru. With an approach of limitless imagination, I hope to remind ourselves our right to freely exist in all that we are and move towards all we can be.
You can find me @rockin_roquin on IG.
Clay Joshua Aflleje | Makeup Artist

Håfa adai! My name is Clay Joshua Aflleje. I’m a makeup artist currently based in Colorado with Laura Allen Hair. I was born & raised on Guahan in the village of Tamuning. During my time in Guahan I had the great opportunity & pleasure of working alongside other very talented local artists as a makeup artist working on photo shoots, pageants, weddings as well as fashion shows. As a makeup artist, My art is inherently ephemeral, but the effects of which could last a lifetime, sewing seeds of self love & confidence through enhancing unique natural features of the face & inspiring the wearer to impose their beauty onto the world.
My goal for the makeup in this project is to use colors & textures indicative of Guahan while complimenting the pieces & adding to the allure of the modern CHamoru. My inspiration for my style & way of being is my grandmother, a woman who not only cultivated her land but her style as well. Her spirit lives on in my approach to makeup and how I navigate my life as modern CHamoru man.
Find me @byclayjosh
Where are we going?

We have the honor of being invited to showcase at London Pacific Fashion week as the first CHamoru designers in its 7 year history.
Held in downtown London, along the waters of the River Thames, we will be showcasing for the very first time at London Pacific Fashion Week. Now in its seventh year, this has been a space for Pacific Islander designers to come and share with the world their islands, and have seen some fierce and fabulous looks come down the runway.
This year, 11 designers from around the Pacific will be debuting their collections at the Royal Horseguards, bringing all the guiaya, alofa, aloha to the land and waters there.
Find out more at londonpacificfashionweek.com or on their instagram @londonpacificfashionweek
Our Collection

Think past and future, comfort and style, water and fire, flow and structure, color and style. This collection will be a homage to the lands and waters that have sustained and nourished us, for the people who have continued to care and uplift us, for the ancestors who have paved the way for us to be here.
It will also be fun, flirty, and sensual, mixed with lots of style, whimsy and tradition. We are using as many pieces from home to help build this collection, but also exploring new ways at expressing what it means to cloth the body, but through a CHamoru perspective.
initial sketches from roldy
dresses from roldy and accessories from roquin
concept from jessie
concept 2 from jessie
Our Models
We also have the pleasure of working with indigenous and pacific models for this runway. Here is a look at some of the models we will be working with!

The Runway
We also are excited at showcasing in this beautiful space. Here is a look at where it will all happen - with some shots from last years show.
The Royal Horse Guard Hotel, along the River Thames
Samoan designer Cecilia Peterson Keil with model Nick Afoa (who was also played Simba on the Broadway version of the Lion King!)
Designer AMATALINES from Nauru with model Crystal Khan.
Why is it important that we go

As the first CHamoru designers/artists from the Mariana Islands who will be showcasing in this event, we are excited at the opportunity to be with others who call the Pacific home. Over the course of its run, LPFW has seen dozens of artists from Oceania tell stories through clothing and adornments. We feel it is important to share with others what it means to be CHamoru, to draw from tradition and move forward towards the future with excitement and grace.
This showcase will give a sense of why we are proud to be who we are as a people. We must share that not only among ourselves, but with the world as well. This collection is deeply personal and draws not only from the rich history we have, but the individual experiences and perspectives we have had. Our goal is not to have replicas of artifacts, but to draw from inspiration and innovate. Because innovation means that our culture is living and breathing. This is just a small contribution to our fiesta table, but it is important nonetheless.
Your Support

The money will go towards a bunch of things, such as our show deposit, flights, room & board, transportation and food while in London, and also purchasing materials for the collection too.
Here is a breakdown for all of us to get there:
Show deposit: $2000 British Pounds ($2500 US dollars)
Flights: $625 (x 4): $2500 US
Room and Board: $1500 US
Food and Transportation: $1000
TOTAL: $7500
We are funding this entirely ourselves because we are still emerging artists in this field, so you know how tough it can be. But we want to see this through and hope you are could join us in our dream.
Gifts
We have a couple of things that we would be able to offer for your support. Things that hopefully will help you remember us and the journey we are going on together:
$25 Thank you card + block print
Jessie has been creating 3 one of a kind block prints for their designs, each calling back to the islands we call home. Get one of these designs when you support at this level.

$50 Thank you card + woven golden object from Roldy
Roldy has been learning to weave this past year and would love to offer a woven object, painted gold. Plus, they will put pieces from the collection for you - scraps of fabric, sea shells - it will be a surprise!
$75 Thank you card + all three designs from Jessie!
You heard that right. All three designs. What a treat!
$100 Thank you card + custom earrings, made to order just for you
Both Roquin and Roldy have been making earrings these past years, using both traditional and contemporary materials. At this level, they will create custom earrings just for you, to give you the bling you always deserve.

$200 Thank you card + Get a woven tuhong (CHamoru fishing hat)
Roquin is an experienced weaver, who would be able to create a traditional CHamoru piece for you - fishing hat - to help you wade through these waters we call life.

Saina Maasse for making it this far. We would love to have you be a part of this journey, and look forward to sharing with the world what it means, for us anyways, to be CHamoru in the 21st century.

Content
1. Who we are
2. Members
3. Where are we going
4. Our Collection
5. Our Models
6. The Runway
7. Why are we going
8. Your Support
9. Gifts
Who we are
Guma’ Ge’la (House of Difference) is an inclusive collective with a mission to cultivate and innovate the CHamoru culture through interdisciplinary artistic expression. We are storytellers made up of illustrators, make-up artists, poets, performers, photographers, singers, weavers- and designers! Through our collaborative work, we amplify each others’ voice and bring fantasy into reality. Effectively granting people permission to exist in their entirety while building community.
Our vision for this coming collection is to be “part land, part sea, and all ancestry."
Members
Jessica Vergel | Designer
Hafa Adai! I’m Jessie and I’m twenty years-old. I’m currently studying Communication Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. My personal art and design work focuses on progressing the representation and voice of CHamoru people and our culture. Through experimenting with multiple mediums, I aim to create messages and imagery that are colorful, positive and whimsical. Although I was born and raised in the states, my maternal grandmother is from Agana Heights and my paternal grandmother is from Sinajana, on Guahan. I am dedicating my work to them.
Artist Statement
Guma’ Ge’la’s quote “Part land, part sea & all ancestry,” unifies my four garments because each garment is designated to embodying the land, the ocean and my CHamoru ancestors. On the garments, I am using words, imagery and colors that I personally and culturally resonate with, to contemporarily pay homage to my CHamoru identity. Through the process of printmaking and painting symbolic images like the Latte Stone and native flowers to Guam, I am discovering more about my culture and history. It allows me to continue valuing the land and its resources. Additionally, I am using typography and quotes help my audience to understand my passion for my heritage. This project has allowed me to artistically express what it means for me to be a modern-day CHamoru woman.
See more of my work @vergelcreates on IG.
Roldy Aguero Ablao | Designer
Hafa adai yan buenas todos hamyu! My name is Roldy Aguero Ablao and my family comes from the island of Guam in the Marianas, the Philippines and Korea. I was raised in the small village of Yona, spending my formative years on the island until I moved to Seattle to attend college at the University of Washington. An island guy through and through, it took me some years to let go of the shorts and t-shirts I brought from the island to the flannel and corduroy that is so iconic of the Pacific Northwest.
The island has always been a home for me, and find myself calling back to it in my art and the things that I create. Through her stories, her people, her resilience - it is these things that keep me moving forward, and inspires me to continue creating and sharing more about this place I call home.
Check out my instagram @hafaroldy.
Roquin-Jon Quichocho Siongco | Designer
My name is Roquin and I am an artist and designer living in Washington. Raised in Yigo, I have always been creative. When I first picked up weaving at a young age, I channeled my artistic efforts towards my CHamoru heritage. However, relocating to Washington gave me my first memories of being mahalang. But this also encouraged me to dig into my roots deeper whenever I got the chance.
I dedicate my work to my family and loved ones who have always supported me throughout my endeavors. Especially my nana, whom I inherited my creativity from. This collection is just chesa (a taste) of what's to come. "Part land, part sea, all ancestry", these fashions embody just that. Through the process of innovation, this aesthetic aids the evolution of what is means to be CHamoru. With an approach of limitless imagination, I hope to remind ourselves our right to freely exist in all that we are and move towards all we can be.
You can find me @rockin_roquin on IG.
Clay Joshua Aflleje | Makeup Artist
Håfa adai! My name is Clay Joshua Aflleje. I’m a makeup artist currently based in Colorado with Laura Allen Hair. I was born & raised on Guahan in the village of Tamuning. During my time in Guahan I had the great opportunity & pleasure of working alongside other very talented local artists as a makeup artist working on photo shoots, pageants, weddings as well as fashion shows. As a makeup artist, My art is inherently ephemeral, but the effects of which could last a lifetime, sewing seeds of self love & confidence through enhancing unique natural features of the face & inspiring the wearer to impose their beauty onto the world.
My goal for the makeup in this project is to use colors & textures indicative of Guahan while complimenting the pieces & adding to the allure of the modern CHamoru. My inspiration for my style & way of being is my grandmother, a woman who not only cultivated her land but her style as well. Her spirit lives on in my approach to makeup and how I navigate my life as modern CHamoru man.
Find me @byclayjosh
Where are we going?
We have the honor of being invited to showcase at London Pacific Fashion week as the first CHamoru designers in its 7 year history.
Held in downtown London, along the waters of the River Thames, we will be showcasing for the very first time at London Pacific Fashion Week. Now in its seventh year, this has been a space for Pacific Islander designers to come and share with the world their islands, and have seen some fierce and fabulous looks come down the runway.
This year, 11 designers from around the Pacific will be debuting their collections at the Royal Horseguards, bringing all the guiaya, alofa, aloha to the land and waters there.
Find out more at londonpacificfashionweek.com or on their instagram @londonpacificfashionweek
Our Collection
Think past and future, comfort and style, water and fire, flow and structure, color and style. This collection will be a homage to the lands and waters that have sustained and nourished us, for the people who have continued to care and uplift us, for the ancestors who have paved the way for us to be here.
It will also be fun, flirty, and sensual, mixed with lots of style, whimsy and tradition. We are using as many pieces from home to help build this collection, but also exploring new ways at expressing what it means to cloth the body, but through a CHamoru perspective.
initial sketches from roldydresses from roldy and accessories from roquinconcept from jessieconcept 2 from jessieOur Models
We also have the pleasure of working with indigenous and pacific models for this runway. Here is a look at some of the models we will be working with!
The Runway
We also are excited at showcasing in this beautiful space. Here is a look at where it will all happen - with some shots from last years show.
The Royal Horse Guard Hotel, along the River ThamesSamoan designer Cecilia Peterson Keil with model Nick Afoa (who was also played Simba on the Broadway version of the Lion King!)Designer AMATALINES from Nauru with model Crystal Khan.Why is it important that we go
As the first CHamoru designers/artists from the Mariana Islands who will be showcasing in this event, we are excited at the opportunity to be with others who call the Pacific home. Over the course of its run, LPFW has seen dozens of artists from Oceania tell stories through clothing and adornments. We feel it is important to share with others what it means to be CHamoru, to draw from tradition and move forward towards the future with excitement and grace.
This showcase will give a sense of why we are proud to be who we are as a people. We must share that not only among ourselves, but with the world as well. This collection is deeply personal and draws not only from the rich history we have, but the individual experiences and perspectives we have had. Our goal is not to have replicas of artifacts, but to draw from inspiration and innovate. Because innovation means that our culture is living and breathing. This is just a small contribution to our fiesta table, but it is important nonetheless.
Your Support
The money will go towards a bunch of things, such as our show deposit, flights, room & board, transportation and food while in London, and also purchasing materials for the collection too.
Here is a breakdown for all of us to get there:
Show deposit: $2000 British Pounds ($2500 US dollars)
Flights: $625 (x 4): $2500 US
Room and Board: $1500 US
Food and Transportation: $1000
TOTAL: $7500
We are funding this entirely ourselves because we are still emerging artists in this field, so you know how tough it can be. But we want to see this through and hope you are could join us in our dream.
Gifts
We have a couple of things that we would be able to offer for your support. Things that hopefully will help you remember us and the journey we are going on together:
$25 Thank you card + block print
Jessie has been creating 3 one of a kind block prints for their designs, each calling back to the islands we call home. Get one of these designs when you support at this level.
$50 Thank you card + woven golden object from Roldy
Roldy has been learning to weave this past year and would love to offer a woven object, painted gold. Plus, they will put pieces from the collection for you - scraps of fabric, sea shells - it will be a surprise!
$75 Thank you card + all three designs from Jessie!
You heard that right. All three designs. What a treat!
$100 Thank you card + custom earrings, made to order just for you
Both Roquin and Roldy have been making earrings these past years, using both traditional and contemporary materials. At this level, they will create custom earrings just for you, to give you the bling you always deserve.
$200 Thank you card + Get a woven tuhong (CHamoru fishing hat)
Roquin is an experienced weaver, who would be able to create a traditional CHamoru piece for you - fishing hat - to help you wade through these waters we call life.
Saina Maasse for making it this far. We would love to have you be a part of this journey, and look forward to sharing with the world what it means, for us anyways, to be CHamoru in the 21st century.
Fundraising team: Guma Ge'la (2)
Roldy Aguero Ablao
Organizer
Seattle, WA
Jessica Vergel
Team member
