Fashion designer Yong Davalos opens her first flagship store at The Podium

If there is one buzzword in today’s fashion landscape, it is sustainability. During the pandemic, people’s eyes have been opened to its benefit and lasting effect. While it is definitely the future fashion is heading, it is becoming hard for many to fully embrace it because of its attainability. Listen, the most sustainable pieces you can have are the ones in your closet right now. But if you want to add a few pieces to your wardrobe, this new store not only celebrates consciously-made clothing but also the Filipino fashion workforce.

After more than a decade of working in the fashion and retail industry, Yong Davalos opens her first flagship store at the Podium. The launch of the physical retail store is a testament to the fashion designer’s love for her craft and the people who work on every seam.

“We always pay it forward with Yong Studio International,” Yong tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “All the manangs and the employees that work with us, we make sure that they are in good condition and paid well with all the benefits and whatnot. I think that is why the business is flourishing. I personally want to pay it forward to the industry that I love and the workers behind this industry.”

Like being transported to a tropical retail paradise, the store houses many of Yong’s recent collections. Shoppers can expect to see a colorful parade of prints with her “Destino” Volumes 1 and 2. She also has something for male shoppers with her recent foray into menswear with her “Normcore” collection. Attainable luxury is what Yong is aiming for. That's why all of her pieces are at modest prices.

“I want people to feel that it is fun to have fashion after the pandemic,” the designer muses. “That it is fun to travel in beautiful clothing. I want t share that feeling of goodness and happiness, and positivity when you are wearing clothes that make you feel good and look good.”

The store is also an invitation to the physical shopping experience after the height of e-commerce during the onset of the pandemic. Although going online can widen the reach of one’s brand, Yong believes that having an onsite boutique adds more to a brand’s reputation.

“It needs to be hybrid. We are still going to be online,” Yong says. “But the thing is, people need to see and feel our clothing. Surprisingly, for the first week that we have been here, the store has been doing so well. Now, I understand that for an online brand to be successful, you somehow need locations that are reachable to people. It gives the brand more credibility.”

Check out the inside of the store below:

See more of Yong Studio by visiting its flagship store on the 2nd Level of the Podium Mall.

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