Ben Chan Archives - PeopleAsia

Bench Design Awards ’25 winners produce fashion-forward clothes with hanger appeal

Steph Verano, Karl Nadales and Peach Garde are three new names to watch out for in local fashion. As the latest batch of Bench Design Awards winners, they now join an elite group of past awardees like Jaggy Glarino and Bon Hansen. The three recently bested nine other finalists to…

Bench Fashion Week ’25 paves the way for three new talents

Three stars are born! A leading model, an in-demand stylist, and an unknown artist diagnosed within the autism spectrum find a perfect venue to showcase their other talents for the world to see and appreciate. By ALEX Y. VERGARA Apart from being a regular showcase to advance fashion, the biannual…

The terno as an art form inspired by another art form

For its fourth edition, TernoCon 2025 asked this year’s finalists to draw inspirations from the artworks of some of the best and most celebrated Filipino artists in fashioning their respective three-piece collections. Capiz's Peach Garde, who channelled National Artist Leandro Locsin's iconic buildings, wins top prize. By Alex Y. Vergara…

Disco is alive and pulsating on Day Three of Bench Fashion Week

Underwear shows happen with frequent regularity, but not a fashion show staged by the legendary and unapologetic Chito Vijandre, who rarely makes dresses these days. But when he does make clothes, whether for a show or for an actual event, expect them to be maximalist and tongue-in-cheek affairs deliberately meant…

Best of Bench Fashion Week Spring/Summer ’24

Suyen Corp., the company behind homegrown lifestyle brand Bench, among other foreign and local retail brands, trained the spotlight on both fast fashion and couture, as it also showcased the collections of such designers as Joey Samson, Rhett Eala, Nicolo Perez, Gabbie Sarenas, Jo-Ann Bitagcol and Carla Zhang. By Alex…

From Samson to Mobo, a study in contrast in style and techniques in Paskong TernoCon 2023

The TernoCon, through its latest Christmas edition, has also found a new home, as the featured Filipiniana ensembles are now showcased at SM Aura instead of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The terno and Christmas do mix! And they mix so beautifully, capturing the Filipino’s Christian soul in the…

American baseball-inspired South Korean streetwear brand expands presence in PH

After opening its first store at SM Mall of Asia, MLB, that's Major League Baseball to the uniniated, through its exclusive local representative and distributor Suyen Corp., recently opened its second store in the country at SM Aura. From shirts, jackets, sweaters, pants to bags, caps and sneakers splashed with…

Seeing life through rose-colored glasses starts with wearing the right undies

La Vie en Rose, which literally means “life in pink,” has served as an inspiration for countless creative pursuits, including marketing as seen in the latest Canadian brand – a leading name in women’s underwear, sleepwear and swimwear -- to establish shop and open its second store in Manila. By…

Why Rico Hizon has stuck to this brand of Japanese eyewear

His introduction to JINS, a Japanese brand exclusively carried in the Philippines by Suyen Corp., happened two years ago when Rico and wife Melanie were traveling to Japan. They were soon drawn to its numerous styles and colors that before they stepped out of the store, the couple each ended…

The night Michael Leyva just wants to have fun

For the final evening of the recently concluded three-day Bench Fashion Week, Michael Leyva capped off the designer series with looks that were fun, fearless and unapologetic yet still managed to look chic. And for dessert, Bench again unleashed a bevy of young hardbodies in stylized swimwear for its new…