Plains & Prints: 25 years and beyond

Rajo Laurel. Rhett Eala. Vania Romoff. Randy Ortiz. Mark Nicdao. Amina Aranaz. These are names that have instilled awe and fascination in me every time I read about them in fashion magazines, even when I wasn't working in PR yet. How amazing that I got to work with them and a bunch of other talented artists for Plains & Prints!

A little Philippine fashion history trivia: did you know that local fashion giant Plains & Prints started in a small stall in Greenhills back in 1994? With hard work, dedication, and a whole lot of passion to make timeless, elegant style accessible to Filipinas, its co-founder Roxanne Farillas was able to expand the brand to more than 90 branches run by a team of over 400 people! They've even made their timeless brand of fashion available overseas through online portals.

25 years on, Plains & Prints continues to remain relevant by producing classic and timeless pieces and collaborating with top names in the Philippine fashion scene. From the artists to designers and brand ambassadors they partner with as well as the collections and stories they release, everything is well thought out and on point.

Plains & Prints owes its success to Filipino artistry. Every print, every fabric, and every garment is crafted in-house. The whole value chain is driven entirely by homegrown talent. Beyond the atelier, Plains & Prints is worn by style icons who embody the brand’s classic Filipina sensibilities.

1994 to 2019 is dotted with various milestones when it comes to brand endorsers and collections.  From Gretchen Barretto who was their first icon back in 2002, Plains & Prints started a string of partnerships with effortlessly stylish women. Model-columnist Celine Lopez signed on in 2007, while British-Thai actress Paula Taylor joined in the following year. Several years later, legendary stylist Liz Uy became the face of the brand after being the partner stylist for six years. Nowadays, actress Anne Curtis fronts the Plains & Prints brand. She is classy, sophisticated, yet adventurous—an embodiment of the modern Filipina that wears Plains & Prints.

The project is one of the biggest of its kind, involving 15 artists collaborating for over a year to create a snapshot of modern Philippine fashion. It includes 30 stylish pieces by trailblazers and rising stars—symbolizing the timelessness of Plains & Prints elegance.

With Rajo Laurel during the shoot back in April, who describes the Beyond 25 collection as looking at the landscape of Philippine fashion now where every one has a story to tell

With Cheetah Rivera during the shoot back in April, who grew up with a sister who wears Plains & Prints-everything, so being chosen to be a part of the Beyond 25 collection is a huge honor

With Vania Romoff during the shoot back in April, whose love for volume on the sleeves and shirt dresses shows on the pieces she designed for the collaboration

It was so difficult to keep my lips sealed about this collaboration because how could you not get excited about the thought of 15 artists coming together to celebrate the silver milestone of a proudly Pinoy brand? A historic collaboration, indeed!

After more than a year of putting everything together, Plains & Prints Beyond 25 had a great launch at Green Sun last week.

In my almost seven years (Yes! I am celebrating my seventh year in PR this month!) of working in PR, this was definitely one of the biggest and glitziest events we've handled! I was not able to take a lot of photos, but here are some snaps I did manage to take.

MullenLowe MARC's Media Relations team:
Michelle, myself, Celine, Jean, and Jen

With Erwin and Joel

With Jean and Des

With Ashley, Ava, and Arnie

With my friend from college April

With the host Tim Yap

It was a beautiful night, and I felt really pretty in my makeup and dress. But of course, the star of the night was the Beyond 25 collection, and I am sharing the lookbook here.

Amina Aranaz takes a break from accessory design with the printed Celeste top and pants (Php 3,998) and Clara set in classic rust (Php 3,998)

Anthony Ramirez shows his penchant for solid colors with the blue Kiarra (Php 2,898) and the black Catalina (Php 2,898)

Charina Sarte’s ruffled dress comes in two versions: The polka-dotted Paris (Php 2,998) and the mustard Manila (Php 2,998)

Cheetah Rivera’s youthful Elise dress (Php 2,898) also comes in a white and mint version called Bonnie (Php 2,898)

Mark Bumgarner’s classic silhouettes return to Plains & Prints with the Daphne pantsuit (Php 2,998) and the printed Camilla dress (Php 2,998)

Mark Nicdao showcases a digital print of the city that never sleeps in New York dress (Php 2,998) and Manhattan top and bottom (Php 2,998)

Martin Bautista’s one-shoulder number comes in the sienna Celine top and skirt (Php 2,998) and the printed Cecile top and skirt (Php 2,998)

Maureen Disini’s all-white Rebecca (Php 2,998) contrasts with the dark and printed Joanna (Php 2,998)

Patty Ang lends her minimalism with the mint Billie top and pants (Php 2,998) and the navy Drew set (Php 2,998)

Rajo Laurel gives the asymmetrical dress a comfortable and practical take with the coral Shantelle (Php 2,898) and printed Sophia (Php 2,898)

Randy Ortiz reaffirms his love for flowy dresses with the white Carmen (Php 3,498) and chambray Adella (Php 3,498)

Rhett Eala plays with Lime and blue accents in the Hanna top and skirt (Php 3,298), then goes all in on the square-necked Chelsea set (Php 3,298)

Rosanna Ocampo offers a lacy dress in light brown Sabine (Php 2,998) and blue Sasha (Php 2,998)

Vania Romoff’s third collab with Plains & Prints gives us the red Marcella dress (Php 2,998) and white and khaki Carlotta (Php 2,998)

Wig Tysmans’ landscapes feature prominently in the Tanya dress (Php 2,898) and Nashtassia pantsuit (Php 3,498)

The Plains & Prints Beyond 25 collection is now available online and in all Plains & Prints stores nationwide! They are numbered and very limited so if there is anything you like, I suggest that you order it now because they will not be released again.

As for me, I chose my favorites when I first saw the clothes during the shoot back in April, and last week I finally got my hands on them.

I got Sasha by Rosanna Ocampo...

... and Paris by Charina Sarte

They're so feminine, exquisite, and delicate. I love them and I can't wait for the perfect occasion to wear them!

However small my part was, I am deeply honored to be part of this milestone. Congratulations and more power, Plains & Prints!