Plains & Prints came from Roxanne Ang-Farillas’ passion for selling.
“I’ve always been very passionate about working in retail and clothes. Even in college, I liked to design clothes and sell them to my classmates.”
It was founded in 1994, with a vision of creating classic clothes that celebrate women’s creativity and confidence.
Roxanne together with her then fiancé, Erickson, set up Plains & Prints with just a capital of Php 80,000.
They started their business in an 11-square-meter spot in Shoppesville, Greenhills—which was a space given to her by Erickson.
While studying, Roxanne took charge of the creative side of the business, and Erickson held the operations of Plains & Prints.
Now, more than two decades later, Plains & Prints continues to dress up women with a unique style that is very Filipino with clothes that are proudly made in the Philippines.
Plains & Prints Goes Global
On their 20th year, Plains & Prints took their brand into the international scene, first with a virtual store in Singapore, and later on a boutique.
Then after exactly a year in Singapore, Plainsandprints.sg has already gained popularity and patronage in the Singapore market.
“We were surprised to discover that it is easier to penetrate the Singapore market than we had thought it would be, probably because there are more Filipinos there now,” Roxanne said to Inquirer.
“When we entered the Singapore market, we studied it very well and it did not take a lot to see that the Philippines and Singapore have quite a lot of similarity in fashion and trends. Both are also tropical countries, therefore, women’s clothing needs are basically the same.”
She believes that Plains & Prints was easily accepted in Singapore because of the brand’s wide selection of universal designs.
“We don’t want to be just another clothing brand but instead, create an image as a platform for Filipino design.”
Staying Strong Amidst The Competitive Retail Scene
After more than two decades in the fashion industry, Plains & Prints still has kept their name on top.
Even with the presence of numerous international clothing brands in the Philippines, they still remain relevant to their target customers who are mostly working women.
Roxanne said that the only key to this success is focusing on the strengths of the brand and avoiding direct competition.
“Everyone knows that the retail scene has been very, very competitive. With all the fast fashion brands coming in, it’s not easy for the local retailers to compete with them. They are bigger, they have bigger spaces, and they are cheaper,” Roxanne shared to Abs-cbn.
“But we don’t go down or decrease our price so as to compete with them.”
“We make sure that we keep what we are known for, our strengths. We stick to our market. We stick to what we know,” she added.
One way of making the brand stay relevant is by collaborating with top designers as well as known personalities.
In 2016, as they celebrated their 21st year, they teamed-up with ICanServe Foundation, a foundation dedicated to support breast cancer patients and survivors.
Plains & Prints gathered five of Philippines’ top designers—Vania Romoff, Rhett Eala, Randy Ortiz, Rajo Laurel, and Maureen Disini—for a collection called Heart of Fashion,
Also, instead of getting Hollywood celebrities and Asian superstars as promoters, Plains & Prints chooses local artists to endorse their clothes.
Some of the fashion icons they have signed are Gretchen Barretto, Paula Taylor, Celine Lopez, and Liz Uy. Currently, the brand ambassador is Anne Curtis, one of the most known artists in the Philippine showbiz.
Since Plains & Prints is among the few brands that are truly made in the Philippines, Roxanne is encouraging Filipinos to patronize their own brands.
“Filipinos should support Filipino retailers,” she said.
Featured Image Credits: Lookbook, Rochelle Rivera, Inquirer