One Friday night, I was at the Power plant Mall at Rockwell. My son Vincent and husband Benny were happily playing games at Power Station while I wandered off to the ice cream stand. On the way there, I got distracted by an irresistible display of snazzy sportswear. Immediately, I found myself inside a FILA store. The sales staff was so warm and friendly, not pushy but accommodating. I immediately felt so at home as I inspected hangers of delightful gym wear in bright colors – red, black, pink, white, yellow and blue with coordinates to match. I shrieked with sheer delight (to the amusement of the staff) as I excitedly pulled out jackets, skirts, shorts and stretchy pants. I spotted a new line of very trendy footwear, so suitable for us active women, not just for the gym or badminton courts but fashionable ones to run comfortably around in. I am usually lazy to fit but, this time, the styles were pure temptation, I could no longer fight off the urge to try them on.
I was delighted to discover how well they fitted and doubly pleased upon checking out those price tags. They were each so reasonably priced and all within my budget. My husband Benny eventually found out where and what I was up to. He peeped into the dressing room, took one look at me in this flatteringly sexy little white mini skirt and a cute baby blue tank top, did a quick inspection of the tab and no persuasion was needed. He nodded full approval, grabbed an attractively designed backpack for himself and immediately surrendered his credit card to the smiling cashier as he footed my entire bill. I left the store a very content customer with three full outfits, two more coordinate tops with socks and shoes to match.
The next day I was in the badminton courts wearing the full regalia I bought the night before. Then a beautiful lady with a beaming smile went up to me. "You love FILA, don’t you?" I smiled back noticing that she too was in full FILA regalia from head to foot. "Yes, I do, and so do you!" I exclaimed. We both laughed in glee. I had made a new friend with the woman whose family – as I found out right there at the court – runs the Italian brand apparel in the Philippines.
I fondly call her beautiful Wanda (Louwallien). This charismatic and attractive woman started modeling in 1978, directed countless fashion shows both here and abroad for several years while running her own modeling agency and raising two lovely, successful daughters.
Wanda’s eldest daughter Maricris Albert is vice president and managing director of FILA in the Philippines. An AB communications graduate from Assumption Convent, Cris started her romance with the Italian sportswear company more than 10 years ago. Together with her dynamic husband, best friend and business partner FILA president Butch Albert, the apparel brand in the Philippines has been spearheaded into a leading brand name spreading out from 10 to 78 branches all over the country. Their Italian counterparts couldn’t have chosen a better partner than this very driven tandem.
Wanda’s second daughter Ana Bitong is a vivacious livewire! A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts who majored in Classical Theatre dreams to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. "I started working for the company when Cris would always get me for her FILA events," said Ana. "And it turned out that I loved working for Cris. She’s a super boss and a super sister." Ana added that she found out that she had organizational skills within her that she thought she didn’t have when she worked for her sister. Now, she does events planning and organizing, product launches, conceptualizing ad campaigns and store promotions for their company.
Despite her hectic schedule – being the company’s advertising and promotions manager, a loving wife to Vince Bitong and mother to five-year-old Tomas – she still gets to do her first love which is acting. Her most memorable performances are as Mira in Fluid (an award winning play brilliantly written by Floy Quintos); as Portia in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice (the last play directed by Bibot Amador before she passed away); as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors; and Alice in Closer directed by Bart Guingona. She plays Harriet in Nobody’s Perfect directed by Baby Barredo, now ongoing at Greenbelt’s Onstage.
Wanda, Cris and Ana chorused that working together as a family is beneficial to them. "Mom is a valuable consultant to our company because of her vast experience in working with the fashion industry. We work together harmoniously. We are inseparable."
These days they are busy caring for their 250 employees. Having won various local and international awards such as the Family Product Excellence Award, Philippine Business Excellence Awards and Scaling New Heights Awards to name a few, the mother-daughters team still keeps themselves on their toes striving to do their very best.
Wanda contentedly shared, "These are the best years of my life. I’m pretty settled, pretty happy and so are my wonderful daughters. I’m given the chance to enjoy every minute of their company while working together, traveling together, encouraging and supporting each other."
"Aside from our work," Cris said, "we love Sundays because we love our long Sunday lunches! We take turns hosting. It could be Mom’s place, Ana’s farm or my home in Tagaytay."
"Cris is a wonderful cook! And quite a Martha Stewart at home. She isn’t just a great businesswoman she is also a wonderful homemaker, wife and mother to cute 10-year-old Carlo," beamed Ana.
I must agree with Ana. I could tell that the moment I stepped into Cris’ home. Every inch of it was fabulously decorated and everything was in great order.
In fact, during the shoot, the three ladies displayed how much fun it was to be with them. The pictorial turned out to be most enjoyable. Wanda did her thing as the girls did theirs. I realized that it wasn’t just a shoot because on and off the camera, the three ladies seemed to project the most natural thing. As the three hugged and cuddled on the couch, it was evident that they were having fun. As they teased each other, they were not play-acting at all. What you see is what you get. They were the portrait of three loving women – loving each other, loving their own brand and loving what they do. It was infectious!
"Mom always taught us that if you love someone, you must show it. And if we love something we express it, too!" shared Ana.
"We just love working together and we’re so in love with our own brand. Every time we innovate something together, there is always something new to fall in love with, all over again," Cris added.
It’s no wonder that to these loving ladies, FILA means "Fall In Love Again!"
(Happy Sunday! I would love to hear from you at miladayjewels@yahoo.com)