MANILA, Philippines ? If Michelle Obama has shown a liking for a democratic brand like J. Crew, is it a stretch to assume that global consumers with designer tastes will follow suit and maybe turn to lesser-known and lower-priced brands?

Anton T. Huang seems pretty confident they will, as his company, Stores Specialists Inc., brings in Raoul, which opens its first Manila boutique this month at Greenbelt 5, Makati.

A Singapore fashion label founded in 2003 as men?s wear, it is known to Filipinos traveling to the Lion City for its beautifully made cotton shirts.

Huang, SSI executive vice president who wears such brands as Hugo Boss and Zegna, likened Raoul?s look to Hugo Boss but with price points comparable to Zara and Banana Republic. Women?s wear and accessories now comprise 35 percent of its products.

?It?s just a matter of brand building,? Huang said, when asked if a regional brand has a chance in the fickle Philippine market. The key, he added, is in the styling and pricing.

?There are a lot of very good brands but are very expensive. If the pricing works?? He said Raoul?s fabrication (all from Europe) and value for money (all apparel are manufactured in Asia) are what attracted his team to the brand, the first regional label in SSI?s roster.

Raoul was developed in Singapore by the young husband-and-wife team of Douglas and Odile Benjamin of the family behind FJ Benjamin Holdings, whom the Tantoco-Huangs got to know of since both are distributors of luxury fashion and lifestyle brands across Asia and Australia.

?There haven?t been many successful Asian [fashion] brands [versus the West],? said Douglas Benjamin.

?Now there are more designers and brands from Asia ? and it won?t be what the West perceives as ?very Asian?, ?Chinoise? or ?very ethnic.? It will go head-to-head with American and European products. A lot of the manufacturing firms are here, so we can compete.?

International

The design has the international market in mind, though. ?We?ve never hidden the fact [that it?s an Asian brand]. We?re proud,? Benjamin added.

Raoul is sold in over 30 stores in seven countries in Asia and the Middle East, with immediate plans of expansion to New York City, despite the financial crisis.

?Raoul was born in 2003 in the middle of the Sars [scare],? Benjamin noted. ?That?s where we excel. People don?t want to spend $500-600 on a shirt; they find in Raoul $100-150 shirts. New York presents an opportunity. We want to take advantage of that.?

Benjamin, who said they receive a lot of Filipino shoppers in their Singapore boutiques, also saw a big advantage of middle-market brands in the current economic climate. ?Traditional high-end customers will scale down. Some traditional mid-market buyers will buy a luxury bag or [a pair of] shoes, but not clothes, because the bag and the shoes you can wear every day ? even those with money want to feel they?re getting value for money. That?s where we come in.?

It seems that?s not just wishful thinking, as Women?s Wear Daily this week released a report on the ?paradigm shift? in fashion, with luxury brands taking a beating as lower- and mid-market labels gain a foothold.

?Designer labels are unlikely to grow as consumers trade down to brands that offer good design and quality for the price,? an industry analyst told WWD.

?[People] tend to discount the Asian market,? Benjamin said. ?But the Asian market is what?s fueling [global business]. Asia is the biggest market, the most informed, the most discerning. We should be able to stand against any other brand in the world.?

For the current season, Raoul?s collection seems the perfect foil to the dour economic mood: happy, easy, light and flowy dresses, and men?s shirts and pants in pastel colors inspired by ?summer in the Riviera and bohemian ?70s,? as described by Odile Benjamin, who is chief of design. ?They?re fuss-free clothing, classics with longevity,? she said of casual and dressier separates that included a ?70s-style one-shoulder jumpsuit, wrap-style tops and dresses for women.

?We?re trying to do something different because we?re known for cotton shirts,? she said. For the first time, Raoul uses silk and colorful prints. Raoul began producing women?s pieces when the couple learned women clients liked their shirts so much they were using their husband?s or boyfriend?s. Right now, said Odile, ?Sky?s the limit. We don?t work within a square.?