Bayo, one of the country’s last remaining homegrown independent women’s clothing brands, recently unveiled its holiday collection with a fashion show at M Café in Makati.
At the same time, it also announced its collaboration with Kotex by introducing a six-piece collection of dainty dresses and separates by Sylvia Park, a “100-percent” Korean designer studying fashion at the School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFA).
Bayo drew mixed reactions on social networking sites earlier this year with its “what’s your mix” campaign series, featuring prominent Filipino female personalities with supposedly foreign blood.
This time, the company has partnered with SoFA by holding a school-wide fashion design contest. Park, 18, and a resident of Manila for the past six years, bested nine of her schoolmates for her collection inspired by Anne, one of the lead characters in the novel “Anne of the Green Gables.”
“Based on the contest’s theme, this collection is my idea of a whimsical and modern fairytale,” said Park, who’s also fluent in English and Filipino.
Lacy and pleated details
Her pieces consisted of polka-dotted and floral printed dresses and skirts with lacy and pleated details. She also did a knitted sweater in neutral beige, pastel shorts and blouses with shoulder cutouts.
“Sylvia is our first ever winner,” said Pinky Estrebillo, GM of Bayo. “Our current thrust is to empower the youth by opening up opportunities for them in the retail world.”
This idea of empowerment is also in line with Kotex’s mission of empowering Filipino women by providing them with “innovative and stylish” solutions, said Ritz Tan, brand manager of Kotex.
“Sylvia’s clothes fit the market segment we’re trying to appeal to with our ProActive Guards technology,” Tan added. “The segment, which is from 18 to 25 years old, is not only active, but also stylish and trendy.”
Kotex provides them with overnight pads with “intelligent” guards that literally rise to the occasion upon contact with fluid. The exclusive feature is designed to protect wearers from possible leakages due to sudden surges, especially during heavy days.
Bayo’s holiday collection designed by its in-house talents had similar pegs. Instead of hugging the body, clothes skimmed models’ silhouettes for a kinder, more comfortable fit.
The holiday collection consisted of short shorts done in various colors, long, semi-transparent skirts, striped cotton blouses and long dresses, polka-dotted separates and shrunken denim jackets. The brand also showed contrasting separates in floral and paisley prints.
PHOTOS BY RODEL ROTONI
