Ask anyone in the Philippines, and they will recognize that TV commercial of famous local actor Richard Gomez rowing a boat shot back in 1991; Gomez, who was considered by many to be the "ideal man," sported a white tank-top by then up-and-coming local brand, Bench—which, alongside fellow local brand Penshoppe, is a pioneer in the Philippines for offering affordable casual-wear clothing that appeals to the distinct stylistic taste of Filipino men. To this day, Bench and Penshoppe remain as the country's top local fashion menswear brands; but, newcomers have entered the fray that disrupts the collective understanding of what Filipino Men's Fashion is today. To get a sense of the present, looking back to the past may be the only viable option.

Laying the Groundwork

Japorms is a Filipino slang word typically used as a compliment for stylish guys going about their daily lives; while it wasn't in use until around the '70s - '80s, it's meaning could be derived from the early 1920s when the Philippines was still under the control of the Americans. During this time, there were Filipino men coined as Sajonistas (Saxonist): people who adopted the American lifestyle and their fashion to boot. These Sajonistas basked in the interminable compliments by their peers; especially, when it came to the way that they dressed.

The arrival of the Americans was synonymous with the Filipino assimilation of the Americana style; before their arrival, Filipino men used to wear clothes that were inspired by the Spanish colonial era, but later shifted into white suits and slim-fit trousers. The transition to Americana style clothing bears some resemblance to the Japanese term, Ametora, an abbreviation for "American Traditional" which originated in the '80s when the Japanese started to wear Ivy League Style clothing—the only difference was, Filipinos had to live like Americans while the Japanese were merely admirers.

Before Americana style in the Philippines peaked in the 1920s - early 1940s, Filipino men wore collarless shirts made from a lightweight fabric called Camisa de Chino (Camisa in short), which they wore underneath the Barong: the national dress of the Philippines. The Barong is a type of shirt that is typically woven from piña fiber and worn untucked during formal or semi-formal occasions; usually, it featured a wide array of embroidery patterns, a pointed collar, and one-button round or square cuffs. To complement the look of the Barong at the time, Filipino men wore a pair of dress pants, two-tone shoes, and boater hats —which, when combined, fit the tropical climate of the Philippines. 

Around the year 1925, the Americana style could be seen everywhere, from the streets to schools around the country (especially in Manila); Filipino men started to wear suits, vests, tuxedos, trousers, and other garments that were indicative of the American style of that era; Sajonistas began strolling the streets of Escolta in Manila, wearing their suits made with materials sourced from Paris while wearing sharp-pointed leather shoes; Filipino boys in school had their uniforms changed to either a black or white suit paired with slim-fit, high-waisted white pants called "Baston" since it had a taper from the knees to the ankles—some, even cuffed their trousers at the bottom for extra flare.

To complete the Americana look, Filipino men wore accessories which complemented their tops and bottoms: they wore various hat styles such as the Panama hat and fedora, bought leather shoes from world-class shoe stores like "Ang Tibay," a store founded in 1922 by Toribio Teodoro in Manila (a major shoe-making center) and styled their hairs with pompadours or with a slicked-back look. While the Americana look began with a lean towards the formal side, it later loosened up with the birth of more casual styles such as Hawaiian shirts and cardigans.

When viewed from a macro perspective, the shift to Americana style clothing could also be a sign of the beginning of the Filipino's obsession with western culture; not only did the Filipinos adopt Americana, but even Filipino parents named their kids after American names—who, eventually grew up and studied in Manila, where they later learned to speak with an American accent and started to idolize Hollywood stars. While most Americans departed the Philippines in 1946 when the Filipinos declared their independence, some residue remained (even till this day), and the styles of the '50s - '80s were reflections of the styles seen in America; but, a love for locally-made clothing was finally beginning to bloom.

Love for Local

In 1987, a young entrepreneur opened up a small t-shirt shop at the department store of SM Makati, a shopping mall located in the city of Makati which is under the umbrella company, SM Supermalls: one of the biggest mall operators in Southeast Asia; that entrepreneur was Ben Chan and that small t-shirt shop he founded turned into Bench, arguably the leading lifestyle and fashion brand in the Philippines.

Ben Chan came from a family of entrepreneurs who established the Liwayway Marketing Company. While Ben was growing up, he always had an eye for aesthetics and beauty—which, he later realized he could express through the Fashion Retail industry. Ben truly hit the jackpot when he started Bench: it was a pioneer in the country for offering more casual and sporty clothes when Filipinos at the time dressed more conservative and formal. "It was more local, more intimate, less competitive, and everybody pretty much shopped in the same place," Ben says in an interview with SM Supermalls about the retail landscape in the Philippines when he started the company.

Bench gained traction as a company by offering fun and functional casual-wear: they offered graphic tees, basic t-shirts, denim jackets & jeans, and trousers. But, while it found success in the Fashion department, their expansion into a full lifestyle brand was what made them famous in the country; they started selling accessories, fragrances, bags, and cosmetics; launched subsidiary companies Human for streetwear and Dimensione for furniture; offered grooming services for men with Bench Fix Salon and Bench Barbers.

As if being an entire lifestyle brand wasn't enough, Bench had one more trick up its sleeve: being the first in the country to partner with celebrities to market the brand.

In 1991—in what is considered to be a cult-classic—Bench partnered with actor Richard Gomez and released a TV commercial with Gomez wearing Bench apparel while rowing a boat. Not only did the commercial change Gomez's label from "famous actor" to "lifestyle icon," but, this was also what propelled Bench into its current state and led to more celebrity partnerships with icons such as Jerry Yan from Taiwanese boy band F4 and Adam Levine from Maroon 5.

Regardless of their success as a lifestyle brand, people will always come back to Bench because of the clothing that they offer. "A Bench/ t-shirt will have something extra that Pinoys look for and relate to, something that gives them the feeling of being home," Ben explains during an interview with the Philippine Primer.

Similarly, Penshoppe is another leading local fashion brand that can be considered a direct competitor of Bench. At around the same time Bench was founded, there was a demand for colorful t-shirts from young college students in the province of Cebu, and that was when Bernido Liu—who was an undergrad studying Architecture in the University of San Carlos—founded Penshoppe; which, like Bench, also evolved into a lifestyle brand.

Bernido Liu currently serves as CEO of Golden ABC: a multi-awarded fashion enterprise that owns Penshoppe and other local fashion brands like Oxygen and Regatta. Together with Bernido, Penshoppe is also run by his wife Alice and sons Bryan and Brandon—who serve as Vice President, Digital Marketing Manager, and Product Development Manager, respectively. 

Like Bench, Penshoppe also found success in the local Fashion scene by approaching it with on-trend, affordable, and quality casual-wear clothing that appeal to the distinct taste of Filipinos; to supplement this, one of Penshoppe's main priorities for their business is to provide a meaningful retail experience for their consumers. In an article in the March 2020 edition of GQ Magazine, Staff Writer Rachel Tashjian writes, "Technology, at last, may be able to improve on those mythical things we always hear about the glory days of shopping: more knowledge, more fun, less regret," and that seems to be what Penshoppe is starting to take advantage of. In 2017, Bryan Liu launched the Penshoppe app as a way to "increase Millenials' encounter with the brand," he says in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Aside from the app, Penshoppe also takes advantage of social media to promote new campaigns, some of which also include endorsements from international celebrities like Kaia Gerber and Cameron Dallas. 

It is evident in both brands that they found success locally by offering casual-wear clothes; which, remains their selling point in today's Fashion retail space in the Philippines. However—in more ways than not—Filipinos still tend to prefer products made in other countries. With the advent of new influences and brands in the country, the overarching style of modern Filipino men's fashion can be complicated, but also can be a sign of originality and empowerment.

Style is Eternal

"Welcome to Uniqlo!" screams a Sales Associate of Uniqlo Philippines, enough to shy you away from the store but also enough to invite you to shop (and you do anyway). I left the Philippines for New York five years ago and one of the few things that remains the same is the Filipino's love for Uniqlo, the go-to fashion brand for high-quality basics. Uniqlo, a Japanese casual wear retailer, established its first store in the Philippines in 2012 at the SM Mall of Asia and now has over 60 branches in the country.

Today, Uniqlo is considered a mainstay in the Philippines for everyday wear—especially, for Filipino men. (In fact, a running joke for some guys is saying that they could replace the mannequins at Uniqlo stores because the brand is all they wear). Many Filipino men swear by Uniqlo's wide array of clothes: Supima t-shirts, oxford button-downs, and even Down jackets for when they go for international trips. Aside from their usual offerings, Uniqlo in the Philippines also benefits from high-profile collaborations such as the Engineered Garments and KAWS collection.

It's easy to figure out why Uniqlo became such a hit in the Philippines. When Filipinos first heard of Uniqlo, they thought that it was just going to be another high-end international brand, but it was the price points that lured them in; not only were the clothes of quality but they were also affordable enough for the Filipino market.

Since Uniqlo and other fashion brands offered high-quality basics, Filipino men could style them in a way that matched a certain aesthetic they were going for, especially with their newfound influences; K-pop, for instance, has been making quite the rage in the country (that's an understatement) and brands like Uniqlo had the clothes necessary to construct such outfits.

More recently, however, Filipino men have started to be more experimental with the way they dress. With companies like Grailed democratizing luxury streetwear and with online shops popping up like Shopee and Lazada, guys can buy clothes without ever leaving their house—couple that with buying clothes from brands that don't even have a retail space locally and their styles can be transformed from "fitting in" to "standing out." After all, fashion is merely the act of purchasing garments, while style is eternal.

And what of the local brands? Both Bench and Penshoppe are upgrading their in-store retail experiences and are in the process of globalizing their brands; currently, both brands can be located internationally in countries such as Dubai, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Aside from the mainstream local fashion brands, more niche local brands have surfaced; one notable example is EC, a new fashion brand by Stacy Rodriguez and Carlos del Prado, which offers functional unisex garments that can be worn in any weather.

Modern Filipino Men's Fashion seems like it's moving in the direction of more meaningful and empowering ways of dressing up rather than just for looks or porma. Filipino men are starting to use fashion as a way of expressing themselves, coming up with outfits that showcase their personalities. While the Americans laid the groundwork for dressing up, and local brands established that Filipinos can also create high-quality garments, one thing is for sure: in the modern age, Filipino men can pull off any outfit they choose to wear.