From campaigns for Chanel, Burberry, Saint Laurent and Balmain, she’s become the face of a homegrown Philippine fashion brand.

 

Cara Delevingne, the young Brit Karl Lagerfeld dubbed the “modern ‘It’ girl,” is the new endorser of Penshoppe, with the new campaign unveiled on Oct. 15, and the Penshoppe x Cara Delevingne collection rolled out in stores on the same day.

 

Penshoppe has taken a break from a series of successful campaigns starring Hollywood actors, to tap a supermodel for the first time, as it “reinforces its positioning as a global fashion brand,” according to brand director Jeff Bascon.

 

Debuting on the catwalk in 2009, bushy-browed Delevingne has already made her mark in the fashion industry, bagging high-profile ad campaigns as well as walking the runways of high-fashion labels. She’s a Lagerfeld favorite, at one time doing both the first and final looks of a Chanel couture collection. And she’s only 22.

 

When Penshoppe decided to switch directions from celebrity endorsers in order to underscore its being a fashion brand, they only had Delevingne in mind. It was a tough call, given the model-actress’ crazy schedule, but Bascon was relentless.

 

Top secret

 

“It was top secret,” even within the company, Bascon said. “When we gave the brief to the designers, we just said, ‘Think of a cool girl.’ And they’d say, ‘Like Cara?’ We couldn’t even say

‘Yes,’ but it felt good to know that we were thinking of the same girl.”

 

The clothes are day-to-night looks that one can actually imagine the notorious party girl wearing: statement tees, torn jeans, joggers, bandeau, faux leather jackets, zippered vests, mini skirts. As Bascon put it: stylish but relatable.

 

“We loved her, and I’m sure you would, too, if you meet her,” said Alice Liu, vice president of Golden ABC, the company that owns the Penshoppe brand. Liu was with Bascon in New York for the Delevingne shoot. “She’s fun and quirky, and she really epitomizes the brand personality. It’s a perfect match.”

 

The campaign shoot took all of one day. The supermodel had no entourage, just her road manager. “Off-cam she was goofy and playful,” Bascon said. “But once she started working, she’d transform. There was no frame wasted. She was also willing to do as many options as needed.”

 

When tapping endorsers, Liu said it’s vital to have somebody who stands for fashion in a strong sense. “It has to be authentic for the customer. Some of them you see wearing knits and T-shirts in their shows, so it becomes believable to the market. If you see someone always photographed in high-end designer brands and doesn’t really do streetwear, the relatability becomes difficult.”

 

Penshoppe has had an impressive list of celebrity endorsers, with soap stars Ian Somerhalder, Zac Efron, Ed Westwick, Leighton Meester, Nina Dobrev, Josh Bowman, British boy band One Direction, and even Thai actors Mario Maurer and Baifern.

 

While Delevingne’s deal with Penshoppe is for several seasons, Bascon said they’re not closing their doors to signing more entertainer-endorsers. “You should see our lineup!” hinted Liu.

 

“We’re just expanding our pool of celebrities,” said Bascon. “We chose Cara because we’re ready in terms of merchandise. We’re on point with fashion and global trends. We want people to see it in a different light, more a fashion brand.”

 

To educate

 

But does the greater Penshoppe market even know who Cara Delevingne is?

 

“There was some doubt in the beginning,” Bascon admitted. “But we think the role of Penshoppe now is to educate the market, not just about fashion but the who’s who in fashion.”

 

Liu added, “More than just the Philippines, she’s also the face for our international markets.” Penshoppe has stores in Indonesia and the Middle East, and is set to open its second store

in Cambodia this month.

 

“We had to balance, because internationally we were already up against global players. We had to level up in terms of faces that represent the brand and what it stands for. We want to be known in fashion.”

 

The brand is arranging for Delevingne’s promotional visit to the Philippines.

 

Liu also stressed that the brand she founded with husband Bernie 27 years ago in Cebu isn’t all just about marketing.

 

“Merchandise is really the star,” she said. “We start on that premise. No matter how good your marketing is, you can’t ensure continuity of the business if you don’t take care of the product. That’s what will bring the people back when they forget about the campaigns. That’s an obsession that we have. Marketing is there when all the other elements are already in place.”

 

Penshoppe is not cowed by the onslaught of global fast fashion here, said its execs.

 

“As long as you’re prepared and you know what your brand stands for,” Bascon said. “I think it’s a good thing because it forces everyone to step up their game. It improves the industry, it improves the quality of service to the market. Penshoppe is very ready.”

 

“We’ve been around 27 years,” Liu said. “That heritage puts us at an advantage. Brands that are coming in aren’t the first to come in. Initially there was that fear in the industry. But when we saw that not everybody in the Philippines knows them, we thought we’ll be okay…

 

“A lot of local brands have been calling us, offering their brands up for sale. Given that, we’re not in a bad place. We’ve managed to grow double digits. We’re growing healthily.”