Collaborative collection suggests vacations

PUFF sleeves, polka dots, ruching, and pleats are the new look for Plains & Prints collaboration with designer Rosanna Ocampo.

The Plains & Prints x Rosanna Ocampo Collection features 11 pieces, consisting of three tops, four dresses, three coordinates, and one set of bottoms. They are executed in an embroidered fabric with a pattern of dots, as well as eyelet fabric. The color palette reminds one of vacations: soft neutrals, lavender, and a bluish green reminiscent of the sea.

“These pieces that I’ve designed, I really hope will transport you,” said Rosanna Ocampo during an event in Makati last Thursday. “What I want to be is to [become] part of a core memory.”

Plains & Prints has always collaborated with artists and other designers, such as Rhett Eala and Mark Bumgarner. This is their second time working with Ms. Ocampo, who joined a collaboration with them with 13 other creatives a few years ago. “We love her energy. We love her enthusiasm and her creativity in making this collection,” the company’s founder Roxanne Farillas told ����ý.

Plains & Prints first opened in 1994 in the Greenhills Shopping Center. Since then, it has evolved and can now be found in most major shopping centers in the country. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Farillas said that the company adjusted by coming up with new products such as “multipurpose outerwear” and masks. “Plains & Prints didn’t stop catering to the needs of consumers,” she said.

The pandemic also forced many companies to shift and invest in their online operations. Despite the problems they faced during the pandemic, shifting online was not an issue for the brand. “Prior to the pandemic, we had online businesses nine years ago. When the pandemic came, we’re very proud to say that we were ready,” she said.

To this day, Ms. Farillas takes pride in the fact that 90% to 95% of the brand’s production is done within the country. According to her, some work is outsourced to China due to a lack of machinery. “I think it’s a social responsibility to make sure that you give jobs to Filipinos,” she said. “If you put it all in China, India, Vietnam, what will happen to our industry? We don’t want the garment industry to die.” — Joseph L. Garcia