Two proudly Filipino brands, one chic capsule collection
IF the United States has seen quintessential American labels Kate Spade and Keds working together in several collections, with the United Kingdom rejoicing over the Reebok-Victoria Beckham collaboration, Filipinos need not look beyond its territory to celebrate fashion and pride what with Philippine brands Aranaz and Plains & Prints joining their talents and resources for a chic capsule collection.
A collaboration destined to happen, the luxury accessory brand and the clothing label share an inspiring back story—both were founded and nurtured by creative and powerful women.
For Filipinas, by Filipinas
Back in 1999, the mother-daughter team of Becky, Amina and Rosanna established their eponymous label
Aranáz and began integrating exotic prints and indigenous artisan crafts in chic, modern handbags. Almost two decades later, Aranáz has nurtured a client base not only in the Philippines but also abroad, including fashion guru Olivia Palermo and several members of European royal families.
Plains & Prints, meanwhile, is the brainchild of young entrepreneur Roxanne Ang-Farillas who built her fashion brand from the gift money she received on her debut. In 1994, together with her would-be husband, she opened a small space in Greenhills and since then has grown her line of clothes for modern Filipinas to reach a nationwide market.
Simply called “Aranáz for Plains & Prints,” this collaboration of two homegrown brands is a celebration of Filipino artistry as well as tradition. For besides empowering women with their stories and products, both brands take pride in using Filipino materials and tapping Filipino talent.
“Like Aranáz, we believe in the idea of local brands supporting other local brands. Thus, this collaboration isn’t just a new fashion collection. It’s also a movement to showcase the work of creative visionaries and empower talented craftspeople in the Philippines,” Farillas, Plains & Prints vice president at their joint launch.
On the other hand, for creative director Amina AranazAlunan, the collaboration paves the way for their brand to share their love for handmade crafts to a bigger audience.
“It’s always been one of our dreams and ambitions at Aranaz to be able bring local, artisan handmade Filipino products to a wide audience. We don’t have stores in other parts of the Philippines and Plains & Prints offers that platform to bring us to a nationwide audience. In effect, we are going beyond the niche that we know with this collaboration,” AranazAlunan enthused.
Effortlessly elegant
The result of their parallel philosophies is a capsule collection that combines the unique design elements of Aranáz with Plains & Prints’ signature silhouettes and fabric designs.
Plains & Prints took cues from the Aranáz aesthetic by translating the luxury label’s iconic flamingo, coconut, and pineapple prints into seven fashion pieces that radiate summer sophistication.
“Going into clothing is something that is very new for us as our expertise lie in bag making. So we developed the new prints for the collection but in terms of how they are going to be used on clothing, among others, we let Plains & Prints show us the way. We’ve never done it before and we were very lucky that Plains and Prints guided us through the process,” Aranaz- Alunan detailed, giving The Manila a peek into their creative process.
On the other hand, the eight handbags bear Aranáz’ intricate weaves, all handcrafted using locally sourced materials.
“Of course, we used the same quality we have at Aranaz for the bags in the collection. All the pieces embrace the signature shapes of our brand like this bucket bag, which I insisted in bringing into the collection,” Aranaz- Alunan happily noted.
“From beginning to end, it’s a collaboration in the truest sense of the word. It’s not like we just gave them a freehand and waited for the final pieces. We, both
brands, really sat down to talk about the collection and even had a group chat so we can continuously consult each other,” Farillas shared.
Overall, the Aranáz for Plains & Prints collection imbibes a laidback and effortlessly elegant resort vibe that both ladies agree would make every Filipina a standout this summer.
“The collection is very versatile— it’s really for so many women from every age group,” Aranaz-Alunan ended with a promise.
Aranáz for Plains & Prints is available in all Plains & Prints stores nationwide and online via their official website.