"At a young age, my sport gave me the chance to travel and see the world," says Vic. "What amazed me was the diversity of people. Although they spoke in different tongues, they all spoke the language of fashion."
Vic started doodling at the back pages of his notebook since he was a little "schoolgirl." In between his professional debut with Sari-Sari store and graduating cum laude from UST, Vic used the polo club stables as his "reception" and accepted orders from "friends and friends of friends."
His RTW line Vittorio has been around since the early days of its mother store Sari-Sari 14 years ago. Daring, colorful and brash, the Vittorio line, like Vic, constantly reveals to the buying public the advantages of pushing the envelope just a little bit further.
As revealed in this fashion pictorial, Barba’s love affair with stretch and textured material has made use of utterly sexy ensembles. He is clearly a lover of the sensual, the vibrant and the dramatic.
Barba’s men’s line was born out of a keen observation that the Filipino male did not have much to choose from in the local market. "Filipino males in general are conservative," he notes. "They need to get out of their shell and be free. At an early age they’re taught that blue is for boys and anything that Polo by Ralph Lauren makes is the be-all and end-all of fashion!"
Clearly not one to restrict himself to the predictability of the classics, Vic takes a basic men’s apparel piece and elaborates. He places pockets in a heavily printed fatigue shirt that are invisible to the eyes, drawstrings at the front of a butterfly printed top. He uses soft, crinkled cotton pants that are the height of comfort and as far from the image of traditional cotton twill get-ups that Pinoys would usually wear. Barba’s men’s line not only pushes the envelope, it offers an overt proposal to the local male market: You know you like it. You know, it feels great. Are you man enough to buy it?
In spite of the success of his retail business, Vic maintains a keen and levelheaded attitude. "Honestly, I’ve never considered myself a major designer for there is still a lot to learn and master. What I am today is the product of hard work and good karma," he reckons. "It also goes without saying that I’ve been doing my homework. Lentenient mais surement. Slowly but surely, as my French professor always said."