Unknown to many, Filipino fashion designer and socialite Camille Co-Kora once expressed her desire to let go of her design career, making it a close chapter. But this changed when she found the right partner who would bring her ideas and creativity to life.
“I said no to designing by myself but with the right partners, yes,” she expressed. “As I've said, it’s like a natural partnership. I said yes, because I really resonate with the brand and the women behind it. I love its story.”
Camille refers to AVA The Brand, a local apparel company she recently collaborated with. This company was founded by a mother-daughter trio with a shared passion for fashion and promoting local craftsmanship by working with local artisans to ensure that each item the brand produces is meticulously sewn.
With this background, AVA The Brand x Camille Co-Koro collection was born and launched last Sept. 26, 2023, at 1120 House in Makati. This capsule collection consists of jumpsuits, vest suits, classic trousers, a boyfriend blazer, a skirt, stylish tops, and dresses that can be easily rotated to fit any occasion.
“I felt like I could really trust them,” she continued. “And I felt that they could really understand me as well. So there's a lot of trust between us and that's why I got that this is the right partnership and I'll go with I'll go back and unretire.”
When it comes to the collection's design, Camille shared that these are the clothes she always wanted to have in her closet. Now she’s sharing it with everyone.
“The actual design process for me, at least like the sketching and everything, took me like two days,” she explained. “Then the process for us to perfect my designs, to really come to life the way that I envisioned them is more of a longer process. Around two months we went back and forth with them, because my attention to detail is so like a super bordering OC.”
According to Aina Reyes De Castro, one of the brand's founders, this collection is designed with empowered women as inspiration. “The goal really is to be their closet staple through timeless, reliable, and classic ensembles for day and night, and a brand that considers their unique tastes and eye for quality wear,” she said. “We want AVA The Brand to be the Filipino’s top of mind for anything fashion-forward and infinitely wearable pieces. Everything is designed to be beautifully crafted and made to be cherished.”
With this inspiration, Camille comes with colors and designs that will fit women of all sizes and from different walks of life. “We have a lot of neutrals… which I really love and I feel like a lot of people can wear. We wanted this to be something that wouldn't intimidate other people. That is why we made sure that we have neutrals there but of course, gearing up to the holiday season, that's when color comes in,” she told Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “I'm always a lover of color and that's why among the neutrals, we have some pop of colors like reds. We also have a few pastels. We really just wanted to cater to different occasions, because we want these to be pieces that you'd wear to different occasions. When the holiday season comes up, that's when people start to dress for color.”
AVA The Brand x Camille Co-Koro collection is available on AVA The Brand website.