GOTUACO
Sheree Roxas-Chua Gotuaco is not one to trifle with the launching of any Freeway fashion collection, especially a line that has been adopted from the works of a much-loved Filipino artist.
She launched all the fashion collections in their National Artist Series by way of cultural celebrations. And always there was a learning peg. The Jose Garcia Villa collection, for instance, was presented at聽 Legarda Elementary School, a heritage site, with poetess Virginia Moreno as the honored guest. The Carlos 鈥淏otong鈥� Francisco collection was kicked off with an on-the-spot painting session among young artists from Botong鈥檚 beloved Angono town.
Recently, Freeway launched the first fashion collection in its Filipino Master Series, this time honoring Juan Luna. Held at Lopez Memorial Museum and Library, the event turned out to be quite educational. Here are our takeaways from our night at the museum.
Art history
Esteemed as one of the greatest Filipino artists of all time, Luna first received international attention in 1881 at the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid when his work, 鈥淟a
PILAR
Muerte de Cleopatra,鈥� won the silver medal.
The distinction earned him a scholarship from聽 Ayuntamiento de Manila but with strings attached. Luna was required to create a painting that would capture the essence of Philippine history and the painting would have to remain with the Ayuntamiento.
The painting that Luna created to fulfill this commitment was shipped in 1884 to the same Madrid exposition where he first won three years earlier. And so it was that Luna became the first artist to win three gold medals at the international exhibition.
His entry, 鈥淪poliarium,鈥� turned out to be the seminal work of his life. It defined him as a vibrant and gifted painter with the same force that it defined his country鈥檚 fate. The powerful brushstrokes in the masterpiece are said to have inspired Jose Rizal to write the novel, 鈥淣oli Me Tangere,鈥� and set afire the hearts of the then colonized Filipinos.
SCHULZE and Vargas
University of the Philippines art historian and professor Santiago Pilar and Lopez Memorial Museum director Mercedes Lopez Vargas graced the launch to shed more light on the drama and dynamism in Luna鈥檚 life here and abroad.
Very visual art
Can you hold a fashion show in a museum and keep the context of culture minus the stuffiness? Yes, you can if you鈥檙e Freeway.
Hosted by ANC anchor Lexi Schulze, the fashion show that launched the Luna line followed a guided tour of the museum and preceded a conversation about the featured artist鈥檚 life and passion, and yet it managed to be a visual delight.
Glammed up women (thanks to Piandre Salon and VMV Hypoallergenics) and a couple of guys walked down the main hallway wearing their Lunas. They wove in and out of two rooms where Luna鈥檚 paintings were being exhibited. Each room had a giant screen that showed the models as they were flaunting the clothes elsewhere in the museum.
Casual knit tops, career wear, jumpsuits, tailored dresses, satin and georgette holiday wear for women, and a few easy pieces for men have been turned into canvasses for Luna鈥檚 art. They 
The Juan Luna collection is available at Freeway stores nationwide. Shop online at www.freewayonline.com.ph, visit www.facebook.com/Freeway
Online or follow on Twitter and Instagram @FreewayOnline.
Trajectories
A guided tour of the Lopez museum聽 introduced Freeway鈥檚 guests, many of whom were young fashionistas, to the works of Luna in the current Trajectories exhibit, a rare display of some of the museum鈥檚 historic treasures.
Designed to examine the growth of the Lopez family鈥檚 acquisitions into one of the most comprehensive Filipiniana libraries, archives and art collections, Trajectories showcases 17 important paintings by Luna and 47 by F茅lix Resurrecci贸n Hidalgo, as well as works by artists representing the next wave of art in the Philippines.
LUNA鈥橲 鈥淓spa帽a y Filipinas,鈥� oil on canvas
The centerpiece of the exhibit is Luna鈥檚 鈥淓spa帽a y Filipinas,鈥� a tall work of lyrical beauty deserving of its important place in the museum. Luna was commissioned by the foreign ministry in Madrid to paint a second version of the allegorical oil painting he first presented to his friend, Pedro Paterno. The work was entered in the Exposicion Universal de Barcelona. Reports have it that an earlier version was auctioned off recently by Sotheby鈥檚 Hong Kong for over $3 million.
Also included in the Trajectories collection are a portrait of Luna鈥檚 wife, Paz Pardo de Tavera, and a portrait of Hidalgo鈥檚 wife, Maria Yrritia. Both women met tragic deaths. Paz was shot dead by Luna himself; Maria perished in a sunken ship.
Trajectories is ongoing until Dec. 20 at聽 Lopez Memorial Museum and Library, ground floor, Benpres building, Exchange Road corner Meralco Avenue, Pasig City. Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays to Saturdays.
Class tags
Each piece of clothing in Freeway鈥檚 Luna collection comes with two tags.
The fabric tag says the design of the garment has copyright protection and credits the Lopez museum for the art inspiration.
The board tag contains a photo of the artist and a briefer that says he was born on Oct. 23, 1857, in Badoc town, Ilocos Norte province, the 
The tag also says: 鈥淭he international art scene molded Luna into a brilliant artist. It opened his eyes to new techniques, perspectives, concepts and other elements, which he used to create his own identity to make it in the cutthroat world of art 鈥� His other famous works include聽 鈥楲a Batalla de Lepanto,鈥� 鈥楨l Pacto de Sangre鈥� and 鈥楾he Parisian Life.鈥� Juan Luna y Novicio is hailed as Philippine Master.鈥�