BAG-CRAZY Filipinas need not fly to the world’s fashion capitals to get their hands on Balenciaga’s iconic motorcycle bags (among other to-die-for stuff) made from the softest distressed goat leather.
Food and wine flowed late into the evening as Jappy Gonzales, the man behind the multi-brand store Homme et Femme at Shangri-La Mall, formally opened the country’s first Balenciaga store at Greenbelt 5 in Makati recently.
A good mix of Manila’s social set helped themselves to hors d’oeuvres that included macaroons with anchovy, prepared by leading chef Margarita Fores.
The store follows the look of the brand’s newer stores worldwide, and exclusively carries Balenciaga’s women’s accessories and leather goods, including those killer shoes.
Homme et Femme has been selling a limited Balenciaga line since 2004. Because of the public’s warm response to the brand, Gonzales decided to open a separate store to showcase an expanded range of merchandise.
“Our principal’s direction involves much development in the accessories business, and we saw an opportunity there,” he said. “This explains our decision to open a Balenciaga store in Manila, which is a franchise operation.”
He was mum on the possibility of opening Balenciaga stores in other parts of the country. Fashionistas can expect to find the new collection and certain pieces that don’t belong to the classic group at Greenbelt 5.
The latter includes the cherche-midi line, which uses shagreen as accent, and the lune series characterized by the round clasp closures in metal.
Respect
Does Gonzales plan to carry Nicolas Ghesquiere’s RTW collection as well?
Belgian designer Ghesquiere was hired in 1995 by the House of Balenciaga initially as a designer for its licensed products in Asia. He became creative director for the House’s own RTW and accessories collection in 1997.
In 2001, the Gucci Group, in partnership with Ghesquiere, acquired the House of Balenciaga from the late Cristobal Balenciaga’s nephews with the aim of re-creating the influence and respect the name once commanded during its glory days.
“Selling clothes is another story,” said Gonzales. “It requires a certain peerage to be in a free-standing store. Our principals feel that it has more peers in Homme et Femme at the moment.”
The Manila store may not be as big and as complete as the brand’s other outlets, but it boasts being a flagship store for the new generation of Balenciaga’s accessories stores.
Ghesquiere himself collaborated with architect Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster to come up with a new look for the store, which was executed by Balenciaga’s architectural development group headed by Thomas Powell.
Devoid of huge logos, gimmicky designs and flagrant displays of provenance, what keeps Balenciaga’s bags surprisingly covetable in a world brimming with designer brands is a story in itself. Gonzales attributes it simply to the brand’s positioning.
“Balenciaga has always been about mystery,” he said. “It has remained elusive, but most of all above trends. The allure of being part of a mystery is one point. It’s about style as opposed to trend.”
Copyright 2009 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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