FASHION RETAIL IN THE Ortigas area gets a shot in the arm as a wing for young designer-entrepreneurs opens at The Podium.

Markati Palazzo, on the mall?s fourth level, is aimed at the ?ADB crowd,? the collective tag for denizens of ADB Avenue and the Ortigas business district.

It has 11 boutiques owned by young upstarts, including relatively known names like Louis Claparols, Mitzi Quilendrino and Puey Quiñones.

While the name Markati Palazzo, according to mall manager Christian Mathay, was derived from a similarly named Dubai market, the merchandise here are all-Filipino and original designs of the young boutique owners.

There?s Rugged Door, a colorfully cramped joint headed by Jeffrey Rogador, who designs menswear. With him are Veejay Floresca, who makes cocktail and long dresses; Michelle Ferrera, who does a casual line called Sasha; Reian Mata; Yaco Reyes and Jona Ballaran, the duo behind the bag line Baggets.

Tina Navarro, 32, the woman behind the popular line Ilaya, debuts a menswear line called Navarro, which sprang from her husband?s need for affordable yet stylish office wear.

Jana Mendoza, 25, and Gail Angeles, 28, had their first shot at retail in weekend bazaars. They each get their permanent trading space here with their respective shops.

Mendoza?s V boutique caters to a good range, ?from teens to their moms,? but the bulk of her clientele are office women who like classic tailored pieces that go from day to night.

Angeles? Wisdom has ?comfortable and girly? pieces, including floral dresses?a counterpoint to her neighbors, like Dimple Lim?s Limb, which has edgier and more avant-garde clothes. Lim was into interior design before fashion. Her friend Regine Dulay, another rising name, consigns at Limb.

Markati Palazzo dares to push the envelop, with Radar Pridewear. Owned by Kristine Calleja and Rebie Ramoso, the store sells ?alternative lifestyle? statement T-shirts for women with ?masculine tastes.? (A tee reads: ?Let?s Get Something Straight?; at the back: ?I?m Not.?)

Similar setup

Mathay said the success of a young designer-entrepreneur wing in an upscale Makati mall convinced them the same formula could work at The Podium. Most of the RTW clothes are affordable, and of limited quantity?a deal that appeals to the ADB crowd.

Bringing in recognizable names like Quiñones adds cachet to the place, Mathay said. At Bobon, Quiñones has pieces from his recent gala collection. Claparols? boutique called Stella has both his womenswear and racks devoted to the designs of Quilendrino, Eric de los Santos and Noel Manapat?s Kaiser casuals for men.

Hazel Santos, who ditched her vintage-wear label Pilar at Power Plant Mall?s Archaeology, relaunches here with Central, selling pieces by other designer-friends.

Hot Pink, the four-year-old lingerie line owned by Kaye Garcia, has also opened. Catering to women age 25-up, it has fun and playful boudoir pieces designed for the Filipina frame.

Laura, a jewelry store, rounds up the lineup, with owner Laura de Guzman?s statement pieces: show-stopping cocktail rings of precious and semiprecious stones, Arts and Crafts-style necklaces, and a selection of delicately beaded evening purses.