Randy Ortiz puts his summer collection at the mercy of stains

MANILA, Philippines - How else do you show a detergent’s prowess without drowning in the flood of ads that every brand puts out? How do you demonstrate an action that can’t really be seen?

In the early morning last March 18, Champion detergent and Super 8 supermarket were preparing for a different kind of Sunday shopping. Super 8’s biggest and newest branch on Visayas Avenue in Quezon City had an unusually busy prep for opening. Bright lights were being installed, cameras were being set up and gorgeous models were being made up.

A flash fashion show was about to happen right smack in the middle of payday weekend grocery shopping.

The task was to communicate that Champion detergent protects your precious clothes from stubborn stains by easily washing them away. The idea was to turn supermarket aisles into a fashion runway and have models attack each other with catsup, mustard, cheese and mayonnaise.

To demonstrate how Champion detergent protects from stains, the models would wear tailor-made plastic clothes over designer threads. No less than Filipino designer Randy Ortiz would risk his latest spring/summer collection. To make sure that the stunt would look and feel like the real thing, the country’s top fashion show director Jackie Aquino would call the shots.

At around 3:30 p.m., the first of two runs happened. Just as shoppers were busy filling up their carts, Maroon 5’s Moves Like Jagger blasted out of specially-installed speakers. From the back stock room, the models made their way in between aisles and strutted their stuff in front of the stunned crowd. Before the song’s second stanza, cellular phones were already out and people positioned themselves for the best shooting angle. After a few turns on the catwalk, the models coyly took out their plastic bottles and started blasting away at each other with condiments usually reserved for your favorite sandwich. The run ended with a final pose that showed the models wiping away the stains with a Champion bar.

Champion wins: This is how Champion detergent attacks stains, as demonstrated by a model using a transparent outfit over designer threads.

After enthusiastic applause from the audience, the models stylishly made their way back to the stockroom. The lights were dimmed and everyone went back to ticking off their grocery lists.

The second run happened an hour later and catered to an even bigger crowd. Not even the rain stopped the after-Mass crowd from doing their Sunday groceries. This audience was even more alive and moved closer to the models as they were doing their walk. Luckily, none of them were hit with stray sauce. The Super 8 cashiers and grocery baggers got in on the act by filling the big warehouse with their catcalls and cheers. At the end, the shoppers posed for pictures with the models.

Just as the crew was getting ready to pack up and the models were getting out of their clothes, it was their turn to be surprised. Shoppers who caught just the tail end of the show were asking for one more run. They just had to give in to the request. So, an unexpected third run ensued.

As the lines at the cashier stalls got shorter and the shopping came to an end, it was clearly a successfully disrupted day. Champion got its message across in a truly unique way and Super 8 became the very first supermarket to ever hold a fashion show.