| Ben Farrales | |
| Birth Date: | 1 July 1932 |
| Birth Place: | Cotabato, Cotabato, Philippine Commonwealth |
| Nationality: | Filipino |
| Occupation: | Fashion designer |
Ben Farrales (1 July 1932 – 6 March 2021) was a Filipino fashion designer most known for his Muslim-inspired dress designs.
Farrales was born on July 1, 1932, in Cotabato City to Salvador Farrales and Paulina Samio. He attended San Beda College for his early education.[1] Flunking math, Farrales also had to repeat the subject in Cotabato, where he took note of the attires worn by Muslim women in the area.[2]
Faralles attended the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for his collegiate studies where he pursued a degree on fine arts.[1] By the time he was a freshman college student, he was working part-time in a department store in Manila which is often patronized by wealthy women.[2]
Ben Farrales, affectionately called "Mang Ben" had been a fashion designer for more than 60 years and had high-profile actresses and socialites as his clients.[1] [3] He became known as the "Dean of Philippine Fashion", a title given to him by socialite and Karilagan Arts International founder Conching Sunito in his 30s.[2] He is known for his Muslim-inspired ternos. He was also the first Filipino to organize a fashion show at the Manila Hotel in 1959 and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in the United States in 1984.[1]
He was designer of Ruffa Gutierrez's Sarimanok-inspired dress which she wore at the Miss World 1993 beauty pageant.[4]
Farrales has received various awards and recognitions for his works; including being named Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL), and recognitions from the Philippine Red Cross and his alma mater San Beda University.[3] He has also received an award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2015.[1] He has also been endorsed to be named as a National Artist for fashion design.[4]
Farrales died on March 6, 2021, at the age of 88.[4]