British accessories brand Cath Kidston is now at Bonifacio High Street in Taguig.

It’s the first store of the brand named after its founder and creative director, Cath Kidston.

She drew inspiration from her British heritage and from her experience with London’s vintage shops.

The result was an eponymous brand established 21 years ago selling bags, wallets, dresses, mugs, saucers, suitcases, pens, paperweights, kids’ sleepwear and even shoes, to name a few.

Instead of settling for generic prints, Kidston and her design team went for iconic British emblems such as English flowers, double-decker buses, the Buckingham Palace guards and Big Ben.

Kidston’s inspiration may be vintage stuff, but every item on display is new and made everywhere except Britain.

The move to have items made outside the United Kingdom was born out of the company’s desire to offer more affordable items to its clientele. Apart from the United Kingdom, Cath Kidston is in Japan, China, the United States and some countries in Europe and Southeast Asia. Ben Chan’s Suyen Corp.—the firm behind Bench—brought the brand to the Philippines.

“The brand has global appeal,” said Dang Nazareno, brand manager of Cath Kidston.

Tweak the product mix

Because of the brand’s popularity, especially among well-traveled Filipinos, Suyen plans to open at least eight Cath Kidston stores in the next five years.

But Nazareno and her team had to tweak the product mix for the Filipino market.

Whereas Cath Kidston stores in the United Kingdom allot 50 percent of their space to bags and 50 percent to tableware, home accessories and women’s apparel, the Philippine store is big on bags.

Oilcloth totes and carryalls with leather trim and handles make up 70 percent of the entire merchandise. Prices of bags range from P2,000 to P6,000.

Small and unisex gift items such as bag tags, pouches, keychains and others range from P550 to P750.

Its line of bright, colorful aprons made either of cotton canvas or oilcloth is sure to make homemakers or aspiring chefs smile.

The BGC store even carries floral-printed Chuck Taylor-style high-cut rubber shoes, with matching floral-printed cotton bag.

“Despite producing items with whimsical designs, the brand doesn’t want to be labeled as sweet,” said Nazareno. “It wants its products to be called modern vintage.”