To celebrate this milestone, Books and Borders owners, Kristine Simisim, Mary Simisim, Megaworld’s Kevin Tan, General George Ancheta, Benjamin Alves, Karylle Tatlonghari-Yuzon, Architect Paolo Grijalvo and Harry Morris, led the ribbon cutting ceremony  As guests were invited to check out the bright, cozy space, they were also treated to special dishes that were thoughtfully prepared by the resident chef. Aside from the cafe’s signature drink such as the Salted Hot Chocolate, Iced Coffee Fudge, and Hazelnut Frappe, guests enjoyed delicious comfort food like the Barbecue Liempo with Rice, Fried Tuyo with Kaesong Puti Pasta and Seafood Aligue Pasta  

 

 Hey everyone, I have made a great discovery!! Have you ever wanted to design a printed tee exclusively for yourself? Or did you ever dream about launching a clothing brand but don’t have the know-how for an online shop? Well, I may have just the answer.   

  Last Saturday, my friends over at CustomThread invited me and some other fellow bloggers to their website launch, and for an afternoon of tours, entertainments, and utter delight. But first, you may ask, what is CustomThread exactly? Well, I had the same questions, so I made a little research here and there. Over at CustomThread, they take customizing apparel to a whole new level. From T-shirts, jackets, sportswear, corporate uniforms, to casual outfits, they offer personalized designs whether you’re ordering one or one million pieces.   

  Having had an experience in the fashion retail industry as an owner of a retail line once, I’ll tell you that this came as a surprise to me. I was surprised that they’re not some little kiosk that prints t-shirts, but can handle every step of your fashion needs--from creating designs, sourcing fabrics, down to tailoring little details like zippers and buttons. I mean, of course, big companies like that have always existed but they always cater business owners who order in bulk, not individuals who just want to have fun with a shirt of their own. And this, to me, is where their magic comes from.   

  For the first time in the Philippines last Saturday, they have launched an all-inclusive platform with a build-your-own-design app, cost estimate "calculator," and seamless services for handling payment to delivery. It’s every fashion entrepreneurs’ dream, indeed, but it may also be a dream come true for many of us who just want to create a shirt of our own.   

  As for the afternoon itself, I admit it was a bit hazy because of the open bar that I may have abused just a little bit. HAHAHA! I am only glad that I was able to take some outfit shots before well..you know.  

Have a shout-out on the comment section down below. Did you like my discovery? What do you think of this attire? 

 Hello, guys! Let me yet again welcome you all to my humble page. For today’s post, let me first share a realization. I was having a (maybe drunken) conversion with my non-blogger friend a couple of days ago about why I blog. He queried, “so Ronwell, why do you blog?” And I was like, I don’t know; I like doing it. I like styling myself, and I like sharing said style to others. In my mind, my only mission is to inspire my readers & followers alike to find their inner style. However, as pointed out by this friend, I never really considered that as a Filipino blogger, maybe I should aspire for something bigger; that is, to help promote local clothing brands for so many reasons such as to help Filipinos overcome colonial mentality, help those who cannot afford foreign brands feel assured and proud of what they wear, etc. And that got me thinking.  

 One problem with so many Filipinos (myself included) is that a lot of us would rather buy foreign rather than local brands. Some do this by choice, others by habit. Personally, I just never really got used to buying local because…well I don’t know; I never got used to doing so. I excused this by saying that local brands are of inferior quality, but really, we all know that’s not true for all. There are many of those that strive to be as competitive in terms of design and quality as their foreign counterparts. My friend then went straight to pointing out that after a year of reading my blog, he never saw me wear any locally produced/marketed piece of garment. And this, he said, raises a problem. First, it supports colonial mentality, and second, it is insensitive to those who can’t afford foreign brands. To be honest, I never realized this at all because…well, I never really (over)think things but when I did, I realize he was right. As a menswear blogger and influencer, I have the ability to help others give local brands a try, to help them see that it’s not so bad at all. So let me make a promise that I’d be more patronizing of these brands, especially those sold by small enterprises.

  Anyway, here I am, wearing my SM Youth apparel from head to ankle HAHAHA! Shoes are from Dr. Martens so I couldn’t really say head to toe TEEHEE.

To say a few words, I love how the shirt has adopted that long tee street wear addiction right now; it’s very 2016. I also love how the bomber jacket is just as good as its foreign counterparts in terms of design, while having in mind the condition of the weather here in the Philippines in terms of its production. I mean, unlike foreign brands, it’s not as think and thus not as hot, perfect for the tropical weather here in the country.

 A quick update on what I’ve been doing, guys. A couple of days ago, I did a shoot for my friends over at JustThingsPh, which, in their own words, “is a one stop shop for your street wear needs”. And it was truly that. From your favorite baseball/snapback caps, to your favorite long tees, to everyone’s favorite sneakers (including limited/hard to find ones), and even to the littlest things like accessories, etc., you name it- they have them all! As a lover for all things street wear, I was pumped to say the least. 

 Located in D lucas commercial center in Antipolo, it has become a hub for celebrities, street wear enthusiasts, and sneaker lovers alike. It was a little hard to find them at first (like most places), but once you found them, you know you’ve hit a treasure mine. Besides, you can always use Waze. Duh  

 Anyway, here’s some shots from the collab. Visit their Facebook Page for more, or follow them on Instagram: @justthingsph. Also, you may want to follow @justthingssquad for your daily street style inspiration.