Meet Johann Manas, breakthrough Filipino designer in Tokyo

I had to do a double take when I first met up with Johann Manas, designer of Tokyo-based Filipino men’s clothing brand JMan in Omotesando. We had arranged to meet via e-mail and neither one of us knew what the other looked like. The person waiting for me in front of Celine looked very Japanese so to make sure, I called out, “Johann!” When he turned and flashed a warm Filipino smile, I knew then I had spotted the right guy.

Johann Manas is somewhat of a newbie to Tokyo and to the Japanese fashion market, but he has been making small but resounding waves since his debut last year. After an online application, a panel interview and portfolio presentation in the spring of 2011, Johann became a fashion design student that fall at Vantan Design Institute in Shibuya, Tokyo, one of Japan’s top fashion design schools.

With only a few months of fashion design education under his belt, Johann presented his men’s collection at Tokyo Fashion Week in October 2012 and exhibited his spring/summer 2014 collection in conjunction with Tokyo Fashion Week just this October. Since launching his career as a menswear designer a little over a year ago, two stockists in Japan — one in Aoyama-Tokyo and the other one in Nagoya — now carry his JMan designs.

While his entry into the Japanese fashion market seems fortuitous in such a short span of time, Manas literally took the long and winding road towards becoming a fashion designer. From being a pre-med student at the University of Santo Tomas to a fashion and advertising photography student at the New York School of Visual Arts, Johann stumbled upon, or better yet, raced, towards fashion while running the 2010 Tokyo Marathon.  A serious multisport athlete who has finished several marathons with a sub-four-hour time and more than one full Ironman in less than 14 hours, Johann registered for the Tokyo Marathon as a run-up to the New York City Marathon, not knowing the race was going to determine a different course for his future and deliver an elusive yet timely opportunity for a fresh start.

“I fell in love with Tokyo almost immediately,” Johann told me. “I have traveled extensively and lived in New York for more than a year but Tokyo called out to me like no other city in the world,” he adds. He has found his home outside the Philippines here in Tokyo and is basking in all of its creative, frenetic energy. He always had an interest in design but, being the obedient Filipino son that he was, he took a medical degree to please his parents.  “The first time I wore the white pre-med uniform, I knew I did not want to be a doctor,” Johann recalls.

He eventually found the courage to tell his parents, dropped out of med school and went into business on his own in Manila, operating several food kiosks in the malls. Still restless and searching, he went to New York to study photography but that did not cut it for him, either. He returned to Manila and turned to sports. “Believe it or not, I suffered from a quarter-life crisis. Sports thankfully helped me keep my sanity,” he explained. Looking back, he is very happy because sports led him to his ultimate dream of being a menswear designer.

He has since given up his triathlete gear and now imbibes Tokyo street style; he takes a lot of influence from the graffiti and street art of Tokyo and combines these with Philippine fashion influences to create a refreshing and youthful collection for Jman. His personal interest in dressing up and mixing styles is evident in his designs for the 2014 spring/summer collection; the pieces are quite sporty, inspired by cycling hats and spinner hats.

His 15-piece menswear collection and shoe designs are primarily in black and white with detailing in his favorite fabric, neon neoprene. His modern take on our classic barong has a very “now” appeal and is charmingly fashionable. His blouson in checkered nylon, polyester and Philippine jusi is tempered and delicately creative, with a breezy, casual yet elegant vibe to it. His signature rattan printed on canvas and rubber-soled shoes is ingenious, traditional and fun all at the same time — a classic shoe design style in the making. His clothes are manufactured in Tokyo with materials sourced from both the Philippines and Japan, while his shoes are handcrafted with materials sourced from Japan by a Filipino cobbler in Manila.

Johann’s Japanese mentors Akira Naka and Yuka Yoshida encouraged him to always infuse Philippine indigenous materials and techniques into his designs to establish a brand that is uniquely his own and that appeals to the Japanese market. “It is not simply about making designs but also about keeping an eye on the market, because fashion, after all, is a business,” advised Yoshida-san. “Do not always focus on making new silhouettes and patterns but rather strive to make classic and timeless silhouettes of your own.” 

True enough, JMan’s proud fusion of Filipino-Japan design concepts is proving to be a hit. Manas’ “Rattan” shoes, or what he prefers to call his lucky shoes, got stocked from the first season and re-orders continue to come in. He is making enough money for now but dreams of selling to more stores in Japan like Beams or United Arrows — specialty stores that serve as platforms for cult and up-and-coming local and international brands. He would also like to be able to collaborate with local fashion brands, retailers and artists while still based in Tokyo.

Working as a Filipino designer in Tokyo is not easy but Johann is not fazed by the challenges he faces. He is careful to respect the ways of doing business in Japan and grateful to find someone to teach and support him all the time. He enjoys living alone in Tokyo and has made plenty of local and foreign friends who share his fondness for favorite artsy haunts like Shimokitazawa, Koenji and Daikanyama, which are full of vintage and antique shops. He has worked part-time for a famous Japanese stylist to celebrities and has had the opportunity to judge the work of students from Esperanza, a shoe design school in Tokyo he had once wanted to attend.

He admires Paul Smith, the British menswear designer who, like him, came into fashion by accident, not by design, and said, “Anything can be an inspiration; if you cannot find it, look again.” For Johann, inspiration is everywhere in Tokyo and he counts himself blessed to finally live the life he always wanted and to do the one thing he truly loves.

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