Donnie Tantoco, president of Rustan Commercial Corporation, lays down an approach to business based on his lessons as an avid runner.“[In retail], you need to have the endurance of a marathon runner, but you also need the speed to market, the decisiveness of a sprinter.”

In it for the long haul, Donnie has jumped ahead by integrating luxe lifestyle store Adora formally into the family company. A brainchild of his cousin Eman Pineda, Donnie recognizes how it represents an evolving trend  among consumers. Amid fast-fashion trends and products that only offer a quick fix, Adora is about something beyond the tangible. “If the market is all about price and brands, Adora is all about lifestyle,” he explains.

It’s not anymore about just merely peddling products but creating a name associated with a vision. Donnie then tells us that the new acquisition is also a recognition of it’s unique place in the retail landscape. “We like what Adora stands for. We love the ethos, the identity of the brand. It’s a bit of a maverick within the fashion market,” he shares

Offering a selection of fashion and lifestyle products from labels like Proenza Schouler, Comme des Garçons, and Anya Hindmarch, Adora  caters to the customer who is always going places and doing something, much like Donnie himself.  “I can go from day to night, travel to cold places, attend events with dress codes from smart casual, to business with essentially the same pieces.”

All of these prove what Donnie knows about the current retail landscape.“It’s less about influencing but more about understanding [their needs],” he shares. It’s no longer about being on trend or getting what’s the hottest out in the market but understanding what the people are doing and how they value their purchases, “When you have a customer[who is] that passionate…you are equally passionate to develop a relationship with them.”

Photo by Ralph Mendoza

Source: Pristine De Leon for Red Magazine, “A Theory of Fit,” July 2015.