The girl for Girls
Ladies, borrow from the boys no more. The brainchild of five young men with wildly different approaches to fashion, girl in transit is here to answer your female streetwear needs.
What was once a rather small niche in the humongous industry of fashion has steadily made its way to the mainstream.
Streetwear - defined in a Racked article as an all-encompassing term for clothing inspired by skateboarding, surfing, and hip-hop - has become the focal point for high-fashion designers' collections, fashion shows all over the globe, and well-known publications. While this particular evolution in the fashion landscape is a welcome change for many â it IS quite freeing and refreshing to trade in no-pain-no-gain stilettos and stiff suits for comfortable and casual Nikes and hoodies â it still has a long way to go, especially in terms of catering to women. Most local streetwear brands put out collections specifically designed for men's aesthetics, needs, and structures. Because of this, many women resort to buying smaller sizes of men's clothes or borrowing from their boyfriends or guy friends. A local streetwear line targeted specially for women has yet to exist.
Until now. Born from the personal observations on the local streetwear scene and the diverse personal styles of five guys, girl in transit aims to address the lack of streetwear aesthetic for women in the local market. Fresh from the release of their first collection, Lovers in the Parking Lot, we sat down with the boys behind the brand - Sean Bautista, Matt San Pedro, Owie Portillo, Rex Puentespina, and Vinch Cuevas - to discuss the clothing line, the all-girl all-star team for their Lookbook photoshoot, and their personal fashion approaches and style icons.
Context, concept, collection, and collaboration
girl in transit is merely one piece of the puzzle â itâs actually an in-house brand under a multi-brand retail concept called boy in transit. Seeking to curate cultures for like-minded people, this retail concept began when San Pedro joined Ursus et Cervus, Bautistaâs previous brand. San Pedro recounts, âWe were interested in all these brands from abroad and bring them over here to open them to the Philippine market. We were planning on getting select pieces from different brands that we like to assimilate ourselves with and creating an identity that people could identify with, us most especially."
However, the team also wanted to showcase local talents and change the mentality that foreign products are better. Portillo says, "Aside from bringing in foreign brands, we also wanted to make our own in-house products and in doing so, sort of show that it belongs with foreign brands." San Pedro goes on to explain, "There exists this stigma with regards to local brands not being up to par with foreign brands. Thatâs why you see products here being cheaper. There are price points that people are used to here in the country because they feel that, quality-wise, it wonât be able to match up. Thatâs what weâre trying to change. We want to show that when you put our in-house products like girl in transit beside products from foreign brands, you wouldnât see a disparity."
When they encountered logistical concerns in contacting other brands, the current situation of the local street wear industry and Bautista's part-time job in Commonwealth, a clothing store in SM Aura, were important factors in their decision to put out first an in-house brand instead of the multi-brand retail concept and the conceptualization of the women's line. He narrates, "It was interesting to see a lot of women coming into the store trying to look for pieces that suited their masculine and street-heavy aesthetic and not finding a brand with which they can express that aesthetic. It was just timely.â Thus, girl in transit was born out of a desire to cater to that certain audience of girls who are interested in music, skateboarding, design, and streetwear. Bautista adds, âWe looked at popular local female icons like Jessica Connelly, thinking that we just had to work with them. We wanted to put out a product for that audience."
And put out a product for that audience they did. Their first collection, Lovers in the Parking Lot, launched on their webstore on March 31st. Consisting of shirts, sweaters, accessories, and an outerwear piece, the spring/summer 2016 collection was inspired mostly by female cultures from the 70s, 80s, and 90s and draws inspiration from all sorts of media, from TV shows to films and short videos. The collection is split into two â permanent and seasonal. The permanent collection, which consists of the white and baby pink girl shirts, will be offered in the succeeding collections, just in different iterations. The seasonal collection consists of pieces that are exclusive to this S/S 2016 collection. The seasonal pieces exhibit a variety of pop culture references from past decades such as Seinfeld, Josie and the Pussycats, Dirty Dancing, Heathers, Sixteen Candles, Say Anything, Lichtenstein, and Carly Simon.
Making the collection even more impressive was the all-girl all-star team they chose for their Lookbook shoot. The boys collaborated with Kara Chung as the photographer, Reena Mesias as the stylist, Czari Domingo as the hair and makeup artist, Frankie Gomez as the illustrator, and Jess Connelly as the model. When asked why they decided to work with all girls for the shoot, San Pedro answers, "We wanted a girlâs take on what we were doing as well, to check whether or not what weâre going for is something they can relate to and something they can get behind. At the same time, we wanted their touch as well, because we personally know how they work and how effective they are in their own fields." Chung is a renowned photographer and a close friend of Bautista and San Pedro, who worked with her before for Ursus. Mesias is a stylist for Satchmi and Paradise. Domingo is a friend and batchmate of San Pedro who also has her own following on social media, specifically her beauty blog and Instagram. Gomez is an illustration whom San Pedro and Puentespina worked with for another project. Connelly is a well-known musician in the local scene, having performed and collaborated with the likes of CRWN and Curtismith. Portillo adds, "Each of them manifest what the girl in transit is about in their own way."
The boys behind the brand
But of course, the team behind the brand is equally fascinating as the one behind the photoshoot. Though their team consists of like-minded individuals who all contribute to their vision for boy in transit, their personal approaches to fashion and style could not be any more different. Â Cuevas, the Operations Officer, describes his style as "filling the gap between street fashion and high fashion" and cites Palace, Kitsune, Acne Studios, and Sacai as his favorite brands. Puentespina, who also shares the title of Operations Officer, is very much rooted in skate culture â getting into it really early, around 2008. He mentions brands like Supreme and Bathing Ape, saying, âWhat they represent is that even though theyâre super up there, they donât lose sight of their identity." Portillo, the Merchandising Officer, has an affinity for Japanese brands as he believes that the "Japanese have this special attention to detail that you canât really find anywhere else. They find perfections in things that are imperfect." He name-drops his favorite brands such as Visvim, WTAPS, Neighborhood, Fragment, Sophnet, and Comme des Garcons. Finance Officer San Pedro is more into active vintage wear and basic clothing, citing Champion USA as his biggest obsession. He says, "Iâm into normcore stuff Youâd rarely see color in my entire wardrobe. This is the first time I have something other than black, gray, and navy blue in my closet. Because of girl in transit, I now have a baby pink shirt in my closet." For Bautista, the brandâs PR Officer, fashion is never for fashion's sake only. He explains, "In terms of what I like to wear, it always has a deeper sense of meaning. Whenever I pick out clothes, itâs always aligned with some cultural basis. Itâs never for the pieces themselves, but for the underlying philosophy that they represent." He mentions Comme des Garcons, Bianca Chandon, and Call Me 917 as some of the brands he's particularly fond of.
When asked on what the best and most enjoyable part part of creating Lovers in the Parking Lot, the boys burst out laughing over a running joke they have. San Pedro gives a serious answer, "The photoshoot [with the girls] was when we all collectively realized that this is really happening." There is a collective murmur of agreement among them as Puentespina describes the shoot as "the point of no return", as they already invested too much in it. In line with his duties as PR Officer, Bautista cites the distribution of collaterals and posting of photos on social media as his favorite part as they saw that a lot of people identify with what they've put out. They all found it fulfilling to see others sharing it and considered it as a testament to how people are genuinely looking for a product like theirs.
Whatâs next?
With numerous ideas and a game plan set for until next year, the team has nowhere to go but up. They're planning to have a physical launch perhaps by next month to introduce the brand to the community and to express their gratitude to their collaborators and supporters. They've also resumed their search for an office and retail space to carry and exhibit the multiple brands which fit their vision. The boys name-drop a few brands and personalities they dream of collaborating with, such as Comme des Garcons, Dover Street Market, Emily Oberg, and Kylie and Kendall Jenner â brands and personalities which certainly fit their vision for both girl in transit and boy in transit.
As the interview comes to an end with the boys goofing around and enthusiastically talking about their style inspirations (San Pedro spends a considerable amount of time panicking as he is at a loss on who his is), it's evident how wildly different each guy observes and approaches fashion. Yet interestingly enough, they manage to fuse and culminate their tastes into something as fun, diverse, and timely as girl in transit and its S/S 2016 collection. With big plans and a great team, it'll be exciting to see where girl in transit will go next.
Shop the girl in transit S/S 2016 collection at their webstore. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
