She made everything but the furniture, Josie Natori said in jest as she walked us through the presidential suite of Raffles Makati, where the new Natori collection of embroidered silk robes and caftans, gold Byzantine-style necklaces and earrings, carved brass home accessories as well as 400-thread-count sheets beautifully and seamlessly melded in the opulent surroundings.
Natori, the New York-based Filipino banker-turned-designer and entrepreneur, was in town to unveil her current collections, which now include a home line as well as made-to-order evening wear, available exclusively at Rustan’s—and also give a sneak peak of the Natori cruise collection for 2016.
Natori has been in the business for 38 years, and her goal has always been to deck out women from the inside out. She started in lingerie, and is best known for her lounge wear, those lush satin and delicate, silk things that affluent women wear in the privacy of their boudoirs, and beaded caftans that hold their own at parties next to other designer wear.
“Everything is connected with what Natori is about,” she said. “It’s about beautiful things, feel-good things that you live with, that enhance your life, whether it’s fragrance, lingerie, clothes or home accents. They’re an indulgence, but a necessity.”
She asked rhetorically why women would scrimp on bed linens when they spend a third of their lives in bed.
“We have a unique positioning in that we have the East-West sensibility. It’s an aesthetic,” she said. “No matter what product line, there’s a consistency.”
Filipino craftsmanship
All clothes and fashion accessories are done in-house, in Natori’s factories in the Philippines. The home, fragrance and underwear lines are licensed. The beddings are manufactured in China, while the home accessories are from other Asian countries like India.
Natori insists on having the ready-to-wear made here, as she believes that Filipino craftsmanship is the hallmark of her brand.
“There wouldn’t be a Natori if not for the Philippines,” she said. “The workmanship and artisanship has given Natori that distinctiveness that women really appreciate, whether it’s the embroidery or something else. I can’t think of better hands to put this on but the artisans in this country. I’m very proud of it, and it’s an integral part of Natori.”