You know it’s hipster fashion when a summer collection is themed “Yolo.”
Yolo stands for “you only live once,” a shoutout among the young that encourages fun and adventure. Bershka, a Spanish clothing brand, pushes the same attitude: to have fun as one dresses up for adventure. It recently opened its first branch in Manila on the ground floor of Glorietta 2 mall in Makati.
Begoña Muñoz-Barcia, Bershka’s Spanish communications manager, was recently in Manila to introduce the brand. She said Bershka is popular in Spain among high-school and college students, as well as yuppies. It has also gained a following in the US and Europe, and in the Middle East, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand in Asia.
It was Stores Specialists, Inc. that made Bershka available in the Philippines. The brand belongs to the Inditex fashion house, which also distributes Zara and Massimo Dutti. It has over 700 branches around the world.
Bershka might just be called Zara’s little sister, since the line has more trendy and wearable pieces. Brand manager Dewi Valientes explained during the launch how the store is divided into sections.
One side is dedicated to basic pieces in white, champagne and pastels. There are chiffon shirts, skinny pants and structured jackets which may be layered for work and “smart-casual” events.
Mixing and matching
In the center of the store are edgier items—racks with neon bustiers, body-hugging dresses, sundresses with floral appliqués, sporty pants and jackets, and pieces with camo and ethnic prints for mixing and matching.
The shoe wall features pumps in basic black and brown, cobalt-blue, red, and even more neon. There are also flats in the form of smoking slippers studded with skull beads, and sandals. For bag lovers, there are envelope clutches in transparent neon plastic, statement canvas bags and luggage in faux leather.
Other accessories are tie-die scarves, crochet earrings, leather cuffs, bead necklaces in gold and silver chains.
For kids, BSK (the equivalent of TRF for Zara) has summer-friendly clothes in salmon, tangerine, vanilla. The men’s line has pants and shirts.
We also love the vintage shirts featuring “The Simpsons” characters Itchy and Strachy, and Krusty the Clown. Sizes come in small to large, both for men and women.
According to Barcia, “Bershka would fit well in the Philippines because the items are fit for the tropical weather.”
You only live once, indeed, so better dress up for it.
