Before founding his namesake label in 2015, Carl Jan Cruz had followed the conventional trajectory of the fashion design student; he studied at London College of Fashion and then cut his teeth interning at Celine during the iconic reign of Phoebe Philo. Upon graduation, however, Cruz decided that he wanted to go back to his native Philippines and create his brand in the capital, Manila—a city not known for its fashion scene. It was also across the world from everyone and everything he thought he needed to build a thriving fashion label on the global stage.

What made you gravitate toward fashion as a student?
I grew up in three different places—Manila, Albay [a province in the Philippines] and London. I was living out of a suitcase, constantly packing and having limited options to we...