From Greenhills to the world
THIRTY signature pieces from 15 prominent fashion designers and photographers in the country were gathered together in one collection to celebrate the 25th anniversary of local fashion brand, Plains & Prints.
“We didn’t give them any restrictions on prompts on the designs [they made for the anniversary collection]. We wanted them to do what they’re known for. I love the collection because when you see [the pieces] you know it’s perfect for [that designer’s] style,” Roxanne A. Farillas, co-founder and vice-president of Plains & Prints, told BusinessWorld during the collection’s launch on July 23 at the Green Sun Hotel in Makati City.
The anniversary collection, which hits all 90 Plains & Print branches in the country and various online shopping portals on July 31, brings together designers who had previously worked with the brand as well as “new ones in the brand’s growing list of partners,” said a press release.
Designers returning to the Plains & Prints fold include Mark Bumgarner who first worked with the brand in 2015 alongside photographers Marc Nicdao and Wig Tysman to create the brand’s 20th anniversary collection; Rhett Eala, Rajo Laurel, Randy Ortiz, Maureen Disini, and Vania Romoff, all of whom worked with the brand in 2016 for a charity collection; while Amina Aranaz and Mr. Bumgarner featured in back-to-back collections in 2018.
The other designers who presented their works in this collection are Patty Ang, Rosanna Ocampo, Anthony Ramirez, Cheetah Rivera, Martin Bautista, and Charina Sarte.
While Ms. Farillas noted that the collection featured each designer’s distinct styles, it was apparent that each designer played with plains and prints in homage to the brand’s name for the anniversary. For instance, Ms. Sarte’s flowy ruffled dress came in two versions: a plain mustard version called Manila and the polka-dotted Paris.
Likewise, Mr. Bumgarner’s pieces featured two outfits — a plain dark-colored Daphne pantsuit and a printed off-shoulder Camilla dress.
Both Mr. Nicdao and Mr. Tysman lent their digital prints to the collection: Mr. Nicdao’s cityscapes were printed on a dress called New York and a two-piece set called Manhattan, while Mr. Tysman’s landscapes made their way onto a dress called Tanya and a pantsuit called Nashtassia.
There were several designers that preferred to stick to either plains or prints like Mr. Ramirez who was loyal to his “penchant for solid colors” with the blue Kiarra and black Catalina dresses and Ms. Rivera’s ribbon printed dresses (in white and mint versions).
Plains & Prints started in 1994 in Shoppesville in the Greenhills Shopping Center in order to “make timeless, elegant style accessible to Filipinas,” said the release. A quarter of a century later, the brand is planning to go global by entering more “online marketplaces and e-commerce sites,” said Ms. Farillas.
The brand is currently available on several online shopping sites like Zalora, Lazada, Zilingo, and their own e-commerce portal. — Zsarlene B. Chua
