I first walked through the doors of the Zara for Men boutique in the Champs-Elysees in Paris 10 years ago. To my recollection, amid the clutter of tourists and vendors along the famous avenue, what caught my eye was how slick the clothes looked in the
vitrine. By slick, I mean high-grade, well-cut material that's reasonably priced and infused with a red carpet style that will guarantee a stylish look. Ten years later and not much has changed. The men’s line on display these days look just as
guapo as the pieces I bought in France, Spain and Greece over the years. The only difference is that the Spanish brand has, at long last, come to Manila.
Zara Manila is the latest branch of a worldwide fashion house covering 626 stores in 46 countries. With the exception of Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, we are one of the few Southeast Asian countries to boast a local Zara. "It took us about four years to bring the brand to the Philippines via International Specialty Concepts Inc.," explains Anton Huang, president of the SSI Group. "During that time, we, together with Zara Corporate in La Corunia, Spain, finalized the bid and crafted the business plan for the Philippine market. Eventually, we also sent 10 Filipinos from our camp to Spain, Greece and Japan for four months to train at the existing Zara boutiques," he adds.
And the final result is an impressive 280-square-meter flagship store in PowerPlant Mall. With a glitzy opening last October, the Rockwell store divided its merchandise into four main sections:
vestir, moda, sport and
joven. Each section has the freshest and snazziest European men’s fashion, straight from the Iberian Peninsula. The shop receives new stocks every Tuesday and Friday at 1 p.m., shipped directly from Spain.
| The Proof Is In The Pudding |
Whether on the rack or on display, the clothes really do speak for themselves, providing a selection not only for any occasion but for any season as well. Winter items such as top coats, scarves and sweaters are juxtaposed alongside jeans and T-shirts while formal wear such as suits and leather shoes are laid out opposite sneakers and clubwear. The price points of the brand are well within reach: jeans range from P2,750 to P3,500 while shirts go from P495 to P1,000. For dressier occasions, you can get nice
GQ-type coats with slacks starting at about P12,500.
With those price tags, it’s no wonder that the Manila store, since opening, has been constantly flooded with customers. "Our market to date stretches across class A all the way to upper-B, 50 percent of which is very familiar with the brand from their overseas trips," shares the section manager for Zara Men, Charade Lopez. Zara patrons, including Ayala Avenue executives, college students and even high school students have been flocking to the store to get their first local purchases. "First-time customers of the brand are also especially impressed with the quality and design of the merchandise," she adds.
True enough, the stuff really lasts. I bought a blue rugged short-sleeved shirt and some dress shoes several years ago as a student, and I still use them today. While some color from the shirt has naturally faded over the years, it’s still the first thing I look for when I open my closet on a Friday night. As for the shoes, they’re still as spiffy now as they were when I first bought them in Paris sans the worn-down heel. Both items still rake in the compliments when I’m out.
Oddly enough, my recent visit to the Manila store reminded me of an afternoon I spent with a Filipino-Basque friend several years ago. We were having coffee and I just started raving about the brand as I had just come home from a short vacation in Europe. Of course, almost instinctively, he immediately tried to correct my pronunciation as I lacked that peculiar lisping twang that Iberians are famous for. "Ipe, Zara is pronounced as Tha-rah," the Spaniard pointed out. However you pronounce it, Zara rocks.
Zara for men is located at the ground floor of Rockwell PowerPlant Mall, Makati (tel. 897-5001).