Bench goes to China

There’s no other way but to go global!"

So says Bench proprietor Ben Chan. And what this retail giant says, he does. If Ben Chan builds it, the shoppers will come.

Next month, Bench, the country’s top clothing and lifestyle store, shall open a new branch to mark another phenomenon in the store’s phenomenal 15-year history. It is its biggest step to date, into the biggest market in the world today.

Bench is going to China.

Though Bench has gone overseas in the past – it already has outlets in Guam and Saudi Arabia – this is the very first time it will cater to non-Filipino patrons. What with local, regional and global brands now flooding the Chinese market, each one eager to grab the attention of China’s one billion people, this is a corporate move that is, to say the least, extremely risky. But also, very exciting.

In the words of Ben Chan himself, "If it’s something that excites me, I’d say, go ahead. I wouldn’t be here right now if I kept doing the same things again and again."

Indeed, Ben Chan is doing everything differently this time. To launch the Bench flagship store in Shanghai, Chan called forth a creative team from the very best in China, Japan and Singapore to work arm in arm with the very best in the country.

"I’m tapping the best people," Ben says proudly. "There’s no question about it – they’ve proven themselves. They’re incredibly talented. This time I wanted to mix local and regional talents, but still all-Asian."

Flown in from China and Japan, this amazing team is made up of cultural mover and shaker from Shanghai Melvin Chua (Filipino-Chinese), top Japanese stylist Giant, Japan-based Singaporean photographer ND Chow, and European-based supermodel Lu Yan (China). Working with top local photographer Ronnie Salvacion, award-winning makeup artist Patrick Rosas, and local male models Marc Nelson, Robby Mananquil, Kenji Marquez and Antonio Aquitania, the team promises a campaign that will bring the Bench brand to another plane.

When the creative group assembled at Ronnie Salvacion’s Makati photo studio, there was a different creative vibe in the air. It was a photo session of a different standard. The lighting, the styling, the makeup and the work ethic were on a higher level altogether.

Lu Yan’s makeup was light, natural but very raw; her pin-straight jet black hair was crimped into an afro. Robby Mananquil had his hair curled cherub-style. Marc Nelson had spiked bangs.

A peasant blouse was worn as a skirt. Three men’s shirts were buttoned together to create a dress. A ladies’ blouse was scrunched up to form a scarf.

For the intimate apparel, the lighting was soft and sexy, against grainy panels of blonde wood. It was a stark contrast to the well-lit, in-your-face look of past campaigns.

Melvin explained their concept as "no concept." They decided on a make-it-up-as-you-go-along approach to the photo shoot, with elements of deconstruction. "It’s more editorial rather than purely commercial. Our aim is to make the brand edgier, give it a tribal feel."

He continued, "Bench is about very basic clothes, but we want to take it to the extreme. With basics it depends how you wear it, how you accessorize it. It’s your attitude.

"The issue here is that in the Philippines things are still very commercial. In China, it’s very competitive and you can’t just sell the clothes like that, so brand image is very important."

Ronnie Salvacion agreed. "Here in Manila they’re after bright, loud branding. It’s about the celebrity, not the clothes. But with Melvin and company they’re after the image. In the end it won’t look like a catalogue, it won’t look too commercial."

"I think Manila can be ready for something like this," added Ronnie. "It’s good to work with something new. It gives you new ideas. There’s a shock factor."

Patrick Rosas was emphatic about experimentation. "Sometimes, as an artist, you want to try new things, you want to do the unconventional, but people here are afraid. But I’m still trying to do that, little by little."

As it steps into the international foray, Bench is being reborn. Already known as an innovator in the Philippine retail industry, it is being reinvented into a global brand that will transcend even its very own past and current success.

But Ben Chan has not lost hope for the local fashion retail industry. He expects that someday other retailers will follow suit and go global, to conquer new markets and territories. This, he opines, is an area in which Filipinos can apply their creative edge: "Melvin is a creative genius and he’s Filipino – don’t forget that!"

Ben waxes wistful when it comes to holding our own against the overwhelming competition from China, from the availability of textiles to cheap labor. "I’m still optimistic about the Philippines. As long as I can hang on I’ll stay. In fact, we’re expanding here in the country˜we just opened in Vigan and it’s doing very well. Soon, we’re opening in Dumaguete, Cagayan de Oro and SM Bicutan. I still believe that things will get better."

In this age of globalization, global competitiveness is the great inevitable for local businessmen seeking growth and expansion. Melvin sees this as good thing.

"When I studied the product, I didn’t see Bench as Filipino or Southeast Asian. I saw it as a global brand. Times like these, origin is not important anymore. It doesn’t mean if you’re a French or Italian brand it’s gonna work."

And here he imparted the most important lesson anyone should know in making that big leap to the international playing field. "Relevance is the key. It’s being an international, modern brand that’s relevant. You have to be relevant to what’s happening with people’s lives. It doesn’t matter if you’re basic or avant garde. You just have to give them what they want."

Is Bench ready for China? Absolutely. But is China ready for Bench? Let’s wait, pray and see.